BEIJING - Vice President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for efforts to promote the contributions of retirees as well as their fine work styles, as he extends festival greetings to them ahead of China's Lunar New Year.

At a reception that was attended by more than 2,000 retired officials, Xi, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said in a speech it was important to show respect and take good care of retired officials.

Xi called for increases to the basic old-age pensions for enterprise retirees and improvements to the service network for retired officials.

He also underlined the importance of tackling the most immediate and pressing issues for the retirees, especially for those who live in poverty-stricken areas and have special difficulties.