Chinese vice premier stresses innovation, ecological environment improvement

Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspects ecological restoration work in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Aug. 21, 2020. Han made a three-day trip to the cities of Nanjing, Suzhou and Wuxi in Jiangsu from Aug. 21 to Aug. 23. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

NANJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng has stressed efforts to enhance the driving role of innovation and further improve the ecological environment in the promotion of high-quality development.

Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during a three-day trip to the cities of Nanjing, Suzhou and Wuxi in east China's Jiangsu Province from Aug. 21 to Aug. 23.

During his stay in Jiangsu, Han visited domestic and foreign enterprises and a lab, as well as an R&D and manufacturing base, to inspect the R&D and application of internet technologies, the development of high-end manufacturing and strategic emerging industries, work resumption, the implementation of government support policies and employment situation.

Work should be done to promote organizational and institutional innovations to attract talent and shore up weak links in key technologies, he said, encouraging enterprises to become more digitized and intelligent while strengthening the capabilities of system integration and independent innovation.

Meanwhile, Han urged efforts to unleash the potential of the domestic market, ensure the stability of industrial and supply chains and push for the upgrade of traditional industries and the development of emerging ones, pledging that China will firmly promote a higher level of opening-up and improve its business environment.

Han also inspected local water pollution treatment and ecological restoration work. He called for consolidating outcomes of pollution control and pushing for further progress in the protection of the Yangtze River and pollution treatment in the Taihu Lake.