Northeast China's Jilin province should push forward innovation to promote the development of State-owned enterprises and startups following President Xi Jinping's inspection visit to the province from July 16 through 18, said a senior official.

Bayinchaolu, Party chief of Jilin, presided over a meeting of members of the Standing Committee of the Jilin provincial Party committee on July 18, at which he urged officials to put the president's instructions into practice.

Jiang Chaoliang, governor of Jilin, attended the meeting and reiterated remarks Xi made during his inspection. Also present was Huang Yanming, chairman of the Jilin provincial People's Political Consultative Conference.

At this year's annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in March, Xi joined a group discussion with the Jilin delegation of legislators and stressed the importance of innovation in the industrial upgrading and economic restructuring of the former industrial base.

The president also said agricultural modernization should be advanced, and listened to a report that the number of wild Siberian tigers had increased to 27 in the province.

Xi at that time urged the delegation to seek new engines of growth to revitalize Jilin and said he would visit the province. Xi has long paid attention to Jilin's development, Bayinchaolu said at the Standing Committee meeting. Xi's remarks to the Jilin delegation at this year's two sessions shed a light on the province's revitalization, he said.

The president's inspection visit reinforced the central government's backing of Jilin's development, Bayinchaolu said.

Xi spoke highly of Jilin's achievements in economic and social development and charted a new blueprint for the province's innovation-driven growth, Bayinchaolu said.

Jilin should make full use of its unique advantages and formulate its 13th Five-Year Development Plan (2016-2020) through thorough research, he said.

As required by the president, Jilin should speed up reform and innovation to revive the former major heavy industry base and strive for breakthroughs while adapting itself to the "new normal" of slower economic development, Bayinchaolu said.

The province should also optimize and upgrade its industrial structure, step up efforts to foster emerging industries and boost the service industry while further developing modern agriculture, Bayinchaolu said.

Jilin should seek innovation-driven development and pay equal attention to environmental protection as to economic growth, he added.

The province should also work out preferential policies to create an innovation-friendly environment so that financial resources can serve the real economy, he said.

liumingtai@chinadaily.comc.n