The Central Committee for the Comprehensive Management of Public Security (CCCMPS) has issued an opinion calling for stronger efforts to combat social instability, according to a December 21, 2006 post on the Legal Daily Website.

The CCMPS is a standing body underneath the Central Party Committee and the State Council charged with coordinating official activities in the field of public order and security, according to their website.

The CCMPS Opinion on Deepening and Expanding Peaceful Rural Construction (关于深入开展农村平安建设的若干意见) [Opinion] states:

Presently, the general rural situation is good, but because conflicts caused by land seizures, forced demolitions, and land contracting are relatively pronounced, farmer petititons and rural mass incidents sometimes occur.  In a few areas, there are numerous occurences of theft or destruction of rural electric or water facilities, agricultural production materials, and illegal logging, drugs, gambling, feudal superstitions, cults, and illegal religous organizations are unchecked.  In a few areas, the power of rural triads is rampant, seriously affecting the security of the broader masses in rural areas.   In some areas, the power of rural grassroots political organizations is weak, government management non-existent, police strength insufficient, infrastructure conditions for public order weak,  mass organizations for the management of public order and the accompanying funds are not implemented, institutions for the protection of social and public order such as mediation committees and public order patrol forces are failing to play the role they should, and the rural social instability situation continues to be serious.

The Opinion generally calls for heightened attention to rural social stability, particularly charging county-level CCMPS and Party political-legal committees with coordination and supervision responsibilities.  Specific calls for action include:

• strengthening rural systems of dispute resolution,  with the aim of "resolving the factors of social instability in the germinal phase, and effectively preventing and reducing petitions to higher-level authorities, mass incidents, and 'civil cases that turn into criminal ones'"
• perfecting systems for analyzing the state of public order and implementing "strike hard" measures on a long-term basis
• striking against the "infilitration and sabotage of rural areas by foreign and domestic enemies," "further developing the struggle against Falun Gong forces," and "firmly surpressing illegal religious and feudal supersition activities." 
• requiring Party and government officials to include target goals for "peaceful rural construction" in the responsibility systems used to evaluate the performance of officials.  "Localities and units whose inadequate attention and poor work lead to major criminal cases, public order disasters, and large mass incidents that seriously disturb public order or cause a negative impression shall be severely sanctioned under responsibility systems for the comprehensive management of public order and systems unilaterally cancelling out positive work performance for major failures.

The Opinion notes that it is aimed at implementing two prior central directives, the the Central Party Committee and the State Council's December 31, 2005 Opinion on Promoting the Construction of a New Socialist Countryside, and their October 21, 2005 reissuance of the Central Party's Law and Politics Committee and the CCMPS's Opinion on Deepening Peaceful Construction.  For prior analysis of these two directives by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, see here and here.