Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun called on Chinese police on Wednesday to tighten security checks to ensure a safe Spring Festival holiday. Guo, also a state councilor, urged police departments nationwide to check fire-fighting equipment and supervise firecracker safety ahead of the annual firework fest. He said efforts should be made to intensify supervision of transportation security and prevent any serious accidents. The Ministry of Transport estimated that a total of 3.62 billion trips will be made during this year's Spring Festival rush from Jan. 16 to Feb. 24. To stay up to date with the latest China news, follow XHNews on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/XHNews and Xinhua News Agency on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/XinhuaNewsAgency.