Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao wrapped up a four-day inspection tour of the southwestern municipality of Chongqing on Monday, voicing concerns over rural development and living standards.

Wen visited the Auto Engineering Institute of the Chang'an Automobile Company, a Chinese-owned firm, which he encouraged to develop its own low emission, energy-saving and cost-effective technologies.

At a discussion with people and company representatives relocated from the Three Gorges Dam site, Wen urged officials at the dam areas to solve the problems in transportation and clean drinking water supply, accelerate the development of agriculture and animal husbandry, turn orange cultivation into the pillar industry in the region, and carry out "fertile land project", under which local people are urged to mover fertile earth to be submerged by the reservoir to top of nearby hills.

Construction of the Three Gorges Dam project began in the early 1990s and involved an investment of 203.9 billion yuan (25.2 billion U.S. dollars). It is designed to control flooding on the Yangtze River and increase China's electricity production. However, about 1.25 million people had to move their homes to pave way for the giant project.

Visiting a dairy farm, the premier wrote: "I have a dream to provide every Chinese, especially children, sufficient milk each day."

Rural economic development and farmers' living standards should be a priority in the agenda to build a new socialist countryside.

The premier inspected local communities to discuss issues of employment, sanitation and migrant workers' incomes. He urged local governments to increase investment in hospital facilities and to implement the 40 measures issued by the central government to help migrant workers.

Source: Xinhua