LANZHOU, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Top political advisor Jia Qinglin has urged Gansu, a province in China's relatively undeveloped west, to make full use of local resources to develop green industries while seeking profits for residents in impoverished areas.
Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks during his inspection tour to northwest China's Gansu Province from Aug. 24 to 29.
"Our country's economic operation is steady in general, but domestic and international challenges are still arduous for social and economic development... Stabilizing growth should be given a much more significant position in order to meet our expected goals," Jia said.
Jia called for more vigorous agricultural policies, including promoting water-saving irrigation techniques and developing advantageous farming industries, in a bid to ensure steady agricultural development and boost harvests for farmers.
Jia visited various companies in the steel, wine-making, wind energy and pharmaceutics sectors, among others. He urged the province to step up the development of new energy, bio-pharmaceutics, new materials and other emerging industries as part of the industrial transformation and upgrade efforts.
Jia urged the province to make more efforts in sand control and boost the recycling economy, with a focus on green, sustainable and low-carbon industries.
Jia also called for strengthened protection of local cultural heritages while urging the local government to make full use of rich cultural resources to develop the cultural industry.
During the trip, Jia also visited villages and urban communities to inspect farmers' living conditions as well as infrastructure construction, housing support and employment in the cities.
Jia stressed that the local government should focus on impoverished areas as the "main battleground" for its poverty relief work and aggressively develop industries that are more profitable for local residents.
In addition, Jia stressed local ethnic and religious harmony.