Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday urged governments and officials to make efforts to help raise farmers' income and prioritize the development of modern agriculture in building a new socialist countryside.

"We should shift our focus to infrastructure construction and social development in rural areas and take further steps to tackle the problems arising from agriculture, farmers, and countryside," Hu said when joining a panel discussion of lawmakers from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region who are in Beijing for the annual full session of the National People's Congress (NPC), or the national parliament.

Hu called on officials in Guangxi, home to the largest population of ethnic minorities in China, to accelerate local economic growth and maintain harmony between different ethnic groups.

Hu also said the autonomous region should take its geographic advantage by taking more measures to open wider to the outside world and actively participating in the building of a free trade area between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

In his discussion with lawmakers from the southernmost island province of Hainan, Premier Wen Jiabao called on Hainan people to give environmental protection top priority and strike a balance between economic development and ecosystem preservation.

In a group discussion with NPC deputies from eastern Zhejiang Province, Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), called for proper understanding of the basic principles and main contents of the draft property law and corporate income tax law which are under parliament deliberation.

Jia said the province should make more efforts to develop the private economic sector to turn it into a strong pillar of the local economy.

Vice President Zeng Qinghong, while joining the discussion of lawmakers from northwest Shaanxi Province, said continuous efforts should be made on energy saving and environment protection.

Zeng called on Shaanxi people to make full use of energy, water, land and wood and develop environment-friendly industries and recycling economy.

Joining the discussion of NPC deputies from the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Wu Guanzheng, head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, called on more efforts to restrict and supervise government officials.

Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, stressed the importance of sticking to the socialist core value system in developing the harmonious culture while joining the panel discussion with lawmakers from Sichuan Province.

Another member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Luo Gan called on officials to help resolve conflicts and disputes among people to ensure social harmony and stability when joining the group discussion of lawmakers from Shanxi Province.

(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2007)