Chinese premier urges efforts for green development, energy supply

Chinese Premier Li Qiang called for concrete efforts for green development and ensuring the supply of energy during an investigation and research tour in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from Tuesday to Thursday.

While visiting a desert greening and sand industry development base in Yinchuan City, Li encouraged people to work hard to improve the ecological environment, develop diversified operations and generate higher incomes for locals.

At a coal-to-oil project area of a coal company in the city, Li learned about development of modern coal chemical industry.

Li listened to reports on Ningxia's efforts to build a new energy system as he visited a compound photovoltaic base. He called for promoting deep processing of local coal resources and unlocking the development potential of photovoltaic among other new energy sources.

In the cities of Ordos and Hohhot of Inner Mongolia, Li learned about development on comprehensive water and soil conservation, construction of shelterbelt forests, ecological restoration, grass seed industry research, and innovation in dairy technology.

He stressed facilitating the progress of the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program (TSFP), underlining the need to support qualified enterprises in conducting fundamental research to bolster technological innovation and industrial development in relevant fields.

The TSFP is the world's largest afforestation project and is aimed at tackling desertification in northwest, north and northeast China. It was launched in 1978 and is scheduled to be completed by 2050.

The premier also called for vigorously developing distinctive industries such as sandy land forestry and fruit cultivation, medicinal herbs, eco-tourism, and ecological agriculture and animal husbandry.

When visiting a desertification prevention and control and wind power photovoltaic integrated project and a thermal power company, Li stressed the need to promote the clean and efficient utilization of coal to further improve electricity generation and heating efficiency so as to ensure the local people to stay warm during the winter.

Chinese premier urges efforts for green development, energy supply

China's top legislator Zhao Leji has highlighted the importance of upholding, improving and running China's foundational political system, the system of people's congresses, to good effect.

Zhao, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, made the remarks during a research tour in northeast China's Liaoning Province lasting from Monday to Thursday.

Zhao visited several cities on this tour, including Dandong, Dalian and Shenyang, carrying out extensive research at the offices of the local people's congress standing committees, while also presiding over symposiums.

During these engagements, he asked local people's congresses to align their efforts with the specific circumstances of their respective regions to promote economic and social development and reform tasks.

Zhao also took the time to visit legislation outreach and community deputy liaison offices, enterprises, villages and rural households. During these visits, he engaged in profound exchanges with both deputies to the people's congresses and local residents.

In the course of such interactions, he pointed out that people's congresses should consciously practice whole-process people's democracy, establish sound mechanisms for gathering public opinion and wisdom, and ensure the effective performance of deputies' responsibilities in accordance with the law.

China's top legislator stresses improving quality of work of people's congresses