BEIJING — China’s Cabinet has ordered that all major industrial projects must pass a ‘‘social risk assessment’’ before they begin, a move aimed at curtailing the large and increasingly violent environmental protests of the past year, which forced the suspension or cancellation of chemical plants, coal-fired power plants, and a giant copper smelter.

The disclosure came at a news conference Monday held in conjunction with the 18th Communist Party Congress, at which several senior officials addressed social issues ahead of the once-in-a decade transition of power in the Chinese leadership.