Premier Li Keqiang was welcomed with cheers and adulation during his visit to one of China's largest rail equipment manufacturing bases on April 10.

Cardboard signs -- "Thank you, Mr Salesman" -- thanking the Premier for his work on advocating and promoting China's manufacture and export of rail equipment were raised high in the air. The scene reminds people of a similar situation in the early days of the country's opening-up, when Beijing students posted an unexpected banner reading "Hello, Xiaoping" to greet China's reform mastermind during a parade in Beijing in 1984.

The Premier visited the CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. as part of his visit to Jilin province.

Large projects such as the manufacturing and export of rail equipment, as well as the supporting industries that grow with it, remains the key method to bail decelerating economy in Northeast China, one of the places feeling the most pains of falling commodity prices, shrinking demand and economic restructuring, Li said at an economic seminar held after the trip to the train-maker.

"To maintain smooth economic development in Northeast China, the top issue is to initiate major infrastructure projects which will give big incentives to the local economy, at the same time the government has to increase investment in transportation, water conservancy and urban sewage system upgrading," Li said.

According to Li, large projects must be approved and started soon, in a bid to encourage investment, and the government has to select a new group of projects to provide further boost.

The economic seminar, where governors from three Northeast provinces reported the latest data regarding the local economy was held before the country is due to release economic data of the first quarter on April 15.