The Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Sunday urged the maintenance of stability in the quake-hit regions in northwest China to create a favorable environment for relief and reconstruction.

In a circular released Sunday, the committee ordered local police to step up patrols of key areas and to timely solve disputes to maintain social stability and unity among different ethnic groups.

The committee urged a severe crackdown on theft, robbery, sabotage of relief supplies, and disruption of market order, to make quake survivors feel safe.