Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday called for greater determination and efforts to achieve substantial progress in transforming the country's mode of economic development.

Hu made the remarks in a panel discussion with a delegation from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, which is convening its annual session in Beijing.

New achievements must be made in the stable development of agriculture and animal husbandry, continuous growth of farmers' income, and comprehensive progress in agricultural and pastoral areas, he said.

The president called for appropriate relations between natural resources development and environmental protection.

He said greater prominence must be given to enhancing social management so as to facilitate the people's well-being, ethnic unity and progress, and social harmony and stability.

The president also extended Women's Day greetings to women legislators and political advisors as well as women of all ethnic groups across the country.

Wu Bangguo, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, joined a panel discussion with NPC deputies from Hebei Province. He called for meticulous efforts to implement the scientific outlook on development and accelerate the transformation of economic growth mode.

Attending a panel discussion with NPC deputies from northeastern Jilin Province, Premier Wen Jiabao said the province is a major grain producing region and efforts must be made to ensure stable production capacity.

He urged local authorities to earnestly strengthen ecological conservation and environmental protection in a bid to achieve sustainable development.

Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which is also in annual session, joined a panel discussion with CPPCC National Committee members from the literary and art sectors.

He expected the CPPCC members to make great efforts to carry forward the fine traditions of the Chinese culture and strive for innovations in the cultural system.

Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attended a panel discussion with NPC deputies from eastern Shandong Province.

He said that improving the capacity for independent innovation is at the core of the nation's development strategy and the key for speeding up the transformation of economic development mode.

Li urged local authorities to deepen the reform of cultural system and strive to make cultural industry become a pillar sector of the national economy.

While discussing with NPC deputies from Shanxi Province, Vice Premier Li Keqiang urged officials to step up efforts to resolve the people's livelihood issues, and realize that household income and the economy grow at the same pace.

He said he hoped Shanxi can speed up the transformation and upgrading of its resources-based economy and improve the people's livelihood.

In his discussion with the NPC delegation from central China's Hubei Province, Zhou Yongkang, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Political and Legal Affairs, said the province has made remarkable results in promoting social harmony and security.

He called on NPC deputies from Hubei to make the province a model in raising the quality of development, improving the people's livelihood, strengthening social management, and maintaining social harmony and stability.

(Xinhua News Agency March 8, 2011)