BEIJING, Sept. 4 -- Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli on Thursday said a mechanism for integrated development of north China's Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province was needed.

The government must eliminate barriers in administration, resource allocation and functional distribution, while resolving prominent problems, including pollution and megacity issues, Zhang said at a meeting of the leading group for coordinated development of the three regions.

The country should set up a mechanism for integrated development in which advantages of different regions are complementary and results are mutually beneficial, the vice premier said.

Thorough research is needed for identifying the respective functions the three regions will perform in order to optimize resource allocation.

The government should first make breakthroughs in three key areas: transportation, ecology and industrial development, Zhang said.

He added the country should improve the general framework for coordinated development of the three regions to lay solid foundations for compiling a detailed program.