President Hu at inspection tour to Jilin Province

The strategy of revitalizing northeastern China's traditional industrial base should be implemented in line with a scientific concept of development, Chinese President Hu Jintao said during his inspection tour to northeastern China's Jilin Province from May 14 to 16.

Hu, also the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), pointed that the central government's strategy has provided a good opportunity for the region's development.

Accompanied by local Party and government officials, Hu visited workshops, scientific institutions, rural areas and urban neighborhoods in cities.

He said that the revitalization of the traditional industrial base should be done on the full upgrading of industrial structures in a market-orientated way.

On grain issue, the president said that policies made by the central government must be strictly implemented to guarantee both grain harvest and the increase of farmers' income. Jilin is one of the major grain producers in China.

The president stressed the importance of the institutional and concept innovation in the region's economic and social development, and said that the market must play a key role in economic development while self-reliance is vital to the rejuvenation of traditional industrial bases.

In order to improve China's comprehensive strength and competitiveness in the world, the nation should treasure and strengthen technological innovation and the cultivation of young talents, and the application and commercialization of new technological achievements should be accelerated, he said in talks with scientists of Changchun institute of optical precision machinery and physics.

Hu also visited a local community, expressing his care for the lives of common people. He urged local officials to put people first in their daily work to let common people share the fruits of economic and social development.

In his speech to the local officials, Hu stressed the importance of Party building and asked CPC's units at various levels to make efforts to improve their work.