CHANGCHUN - President Xi Jinping has called for fresh efforts to revive China's laggard northeastern region, once a major heavy industrial hub, underlining the importance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the country's development.

Xi made the remarks during an inspection tour to Jilin Province from Thursday to Saturday, where he urged the region to strive for breakthroughs while adapting itself to the new normal of slower economic development.

Stressing the optimization and upgrade of industrial structures, Xi urged the province to step up its efforts to foster emerging industries and boost service industry while intensifying infrastructure construction.

"More efforts should be made to push forward the innovation drive so as to boost the vigor of the entire society in innovation and business start-ups," Xi said, underlining an innovation-backed economic growth mode.

Calling for "saving, efficient, safe and sustainable modern agricultural development," Xi also urged the region to maintain various policies to benefit rural residents, with better efforts to accelerate modern agriculture and boost farmers' incomes.

"People's livelihoods are the compass in our economic and social development. We should consolidate the material basis for improving people's livelihoods while stimulating effective demands with better livelihoods," Xi said, calling for high-precision poverty relief that incorporates efforts from all walks of life.

The president also stressed the role of leading officials at all levels in guiding lower-level officials and citizens to contribute to healthy economic and social development, exerting earnest effort to implement various reform policies and uphold an incorrupt work style.

"Reform plans for key fields should be made, with fast and steady implementation. It's unacceptable to miss reform opportunities or delay its progress by waiting and looking on," Xi warned officials.

IMPORTANCE OF SOEs

Noting that the SOEs are an important force to advance modernization and safeguard people's common interests, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, urged unremitting efforts to ensure SOEs become stronger and more competitive.

Xi stressed the important role of innovation, quality and management in SOE development, saying that reform in SOEs should be conducive to preserving or increasing the value of state-owned capital and help improve the competitiveness of the state-owned economy.

He urged vigorous promotion of the spirit of model workers, safeguarding the legitimate rights of workers and building harmonious labor relations.