Xi urges Fujian to play pioneering role in China's modernization drive

President Xi Jinping has urged Fujian Province in east China to play a pioneering role in the country's modernization drive by staying committed to its development goals.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour in the coastal province on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Wednesday afternoon, Xi was briefed by the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and the provincial government on their work, and recognized their achievements in various respects. Xi made clear requirements on Fujian's future work.

Fujian should explore new ways to promote in-depth integration of sci-tech innovation and industrial innovation, speed up the development of support institutions and mechanisms for all-around innovation, make coordinated efforts to promote integrated reform of institutions and mechanisms pertaining to education, science and technology, and talents, implement major programs for sci-tech breakthroughs, and refine the policies and mechanisms for financial support of sci-tech innovation, said Xi.

Xi instructed Fujian to maintain achievements in development of the real economy, consolidate traditional industrial advantages, cultivate and strengthen strategic emerging industries, make forward-looking plans for future industries, and develop new quality productive forces in light of local conditions.

Xi said that Fujian should strive to take the lead in deepening reform comprehensively and expanding high-level opening-up, noting that the province should continue to take bold actions to highlight the leading role of economic structural reform in implementing reforms in key areas and crucial links.

Fujian should prioritize reforms in areas important to people's livelihood based on people's needs, thoroughly implement the strategy for upgrading pilot free trade zones, join high-quality Belt and Road cooperation in an in-depth manner, and construct a core zone on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, said Xi.

Xi said that endeavor should be made in Fujian to deepen its construction of a national ecological civilization pilot zone, form a multi-faceted framework of ecological conservation and improvement ranging from mountaintops to the ocean, enhance coordination of all-around rural revitalization and new urbanization, create industrial clusters of agriculture with local characteristics, and enhance the scale and strength of marine economy.

Xi called on Fujian to enhance protection and preservation of cultural heritages, build the local cultural tourism into a pillar industry, promote cultural exchanges between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, and strengthen a shared sense of national and cultural identities.

China has further enhanced its ability to ensure food security, with a multi-level and all-round reserve system as well as ample and high-quality grain stockpiles, according to the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration (NFSRA) marking the annual World Food Day on Wednesday.

The country is currently speeding up the procurement for autumn grain, with more than 20 million tons of crops purchased in main grain producing areas so far, showed the latest data released by the agency.

Compared with a decade ago, the design storage capacity of standard grain warehouses across China has increased by 36 percent, the administration said.

The comprehensive loss rate of grain in state-owned grain depots during the storage period is controlled within 1 percent, the administration added.