Beijing, Nov 24 - China has urged local officials to provide citizens with proper outlets to air public grievances to avoid violent unrest as the country faces the prospect of higher unemployment amid a global economic slowdown.

China has been hit by taxi driver strikes, protests by laid-off workers and rioting involving thousands of people in one northwestern city in recent weeks, as export-driven growth slows and companies shed staff.

The incidents have remained isolated and targeted local governments and companies but have prompted security officials to issue warnings to officials to take a light hand when dealing with social issues.

Efforts should be made to resolve conflicts and disputes in the bud and at the grass-roots level, Xinhua news agency quoted China's security chief Zhou Yongkang as saying at a government conference in eastern Zhejiang province on Monday.

"More channels should be opened to solicit the people's opinions and local government should spare no effort to solve their problems," said Zhou, who is also a member of China's elite Politburo Standing Committee.

"All-out efforts should be made to improve people's livelihood and maintain social stability," Zhou said.

Zhou's comments coincided with reports of clashes between hundreds of taxi drivers and police in Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong province, during a protest over the alleged beating of a taxi driver by a government official.

Several hundred cab drivers were shown scuffling with police on Hong Kong's Cable TV during a march to protest against the weekend beating of a local taxi driver by three men.

Thousands of people mobbed government offices and beat police in Wudu, northwestern Gansu province, last week, in a riot that local officials said stemmed from local anxieties over a government resettlement plan.

Residents said heavy-handed security methods, including the use of tear gas to disperse protesters, had fanned public anger and exacerbated the riots. The local government said "criminal elements" had seized upon a public grievance to create wider havoc.

Chinese Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu warned of "lots of social problems affecting stability under the current circumstances," Xinhua quoted him as saying in a separate report on Monday.

Meng "urged local officials to be sober-minded and fully realise the importance and urgency of safeguarding social stability".

Meng has issued similar warnings this month as the export sector, a key employer especially for millions of migrant workers, began to show signs of strain from the global financial crisis.