Premier Li stresses greater reform, opening-up

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits the Zhangjiang AIsland during an inspection tour in Shanghai, east China, July 23, 2019. Li made the inspection tour in Shanghai from Monday to Tuesday. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

SHANGHAI, July 23 -- Premier Li Keqiang has called for greater efforts in expanding reform and opening-up to boost development and improve people's livelihoods.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour in Shanghai from Monday to Tuesday.

His stops included a new section of the Shanghai pilot free trade zone and domestic and foreign firms.

Calling the section a new expansion of opening-up and new progress in reform, Li called for aligning it with advanced international levels and greater efforts in advancing reform and opening-up.

Spatial planning should be improved to enable intensive development in the section where "an inch of land is an inch of gold" so that it can be home to the best, the premier said.

During his visit to the Shanghai Electric Group, a leading equipment manufacturer, Li encouraged the company to be more competitive in the international market and further contribute to boosting the country's capabilities in making key equipment.

The premier also visited the Zhangjiang AIsland, where he highlighted the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) in the manufacturing and service industries to foster new growth momentum and benefit the people.

During his visit to IfFP Professional Skills Training (Shanghai), a wholly foreign-owned vocational training institute of financial services in the pilot FTZ, Li called for enhancing international cooperation in education and training.

He said efforts should be made to speed up the training of more financial professionals who are familiar with domestic laws and regulations as well as international rules and have innovative ideas and strong management skills.

Li also stressed strengthening financial supervision and risk prevention and promoting high-level development of the financial sector.

After hearing reports on Shanghai's internet-enabled "one-stop" government services, the premier said efforts should be made to improve and reengineer the government process by using the internet and big data to offer more convenient services to enterprises and the people.