SHIJIAZHUANG, May 12 -- President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to reach new heights in the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and to make it a pioneer and example in pursuing Chinese modernization.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks as he inspected Hebei Province and presided over a meeting on promoting the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

On Thursday and Friday, Xi went to the cities of Cangzhou and Shijiazhuang, where he visited the countryside and places including a port and a research institute.

On Thursday morning, Xi visited Cangzhou City, where he learned about the cultivation of crops that are tolerant of drought and high alkalinity at a wheat field.

Xi stressed the need to prioritize the comprehensive use of saline-alkali land, leverage the key role of scientific and technological innovation, expand the cultivation area of suitable crops and develop the intensive processing of farm products.

Later in the day, Xi visited a coal port area of Huanghua Port.

Xi noted the unique locational advantages and convenient shipping conditions of Hebei Province, underscoring the need to upgrade Hebei's ports and optimize their functional layout to play a bigger role in promoting coordinated regional economic development and developing a modern industrial system.

Xi urged the development of Huanghua Port into a modern hub port with multiple functions.

On Friday morning, Xi visited a research institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation in Shijiazhuang City. He entered a workshop to observe the chip production process, stressing the need for new breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields.

Xi encouraged researchers to achieve consistent progress in grasping cutting-edge technologies and developing more technological and engineering equipment and projects of great significance.

Later, Xi visited the planning exhibition hall of a biomedical industry park, where he emphasized the importance of strengthening basic research and scientific innovation capacity to keep the lifeline of the biomedical industry firmly in China's own hands.

To achieve this, he called for more research and development of medicines that fit into the genetic and physical characteristics of the Chinese population.

On Friday afternoon, Xi chaired a meeting on promoting the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

During the meeting, he called on Hebei to focus on the primary task of high-quality development and the strategic task of creating a new development pattern to accelerate building the province into an economic powerhouse with a sound environment.

Since the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017, new and remarkable progress has been achieved in the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, especially in the Xiong'an New Area, Xi said.

It has been proven that the CPC Central Committee's major regional development strategies meet the need for the country's high-quality development in the new era, he said, describing the strategies as effective channels for advancing Chinese modernization.

Xi called for solid and orderly efforts to relieve Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as the national capital, urging the planning for the relocation to Xiong'an of another batch of the headquarters of centrally-administered state-owned enterprises in Beijing as well as their subsidiary companies and units of innovation operation.

Work should be done to restrain Beijing's functions non-essential to its role as the national capital from increasing, Xi said.

He called for more progress in developing both the Beijing municipal administrative center and Xiong'an to effectively rid Beijing of "big city malaise."

Xi said the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, with a number of first-rate colleges and universities and abundant high-end research talent, has a solid foundation of innovation.

The region should play an exemplary role in achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, he said, calling for accelerated efforts to build Beijing into a major hub for independent and original innovation.

Xi stressed the necessity of reinforcing the principal role of enterprises in innovation and cultivating a group of leading innovative enterprises with international competitiveness that hold independent intellectual property rights.

Xi urged efforts to consolidate and enlarge the foundation of the real economy, stressing that strategic emerging industries such as integrated circuit, cyber security, biomedicine, power equipment and emergency response equipment should be the first priority. He also called for efforts to build world-class advanced manufacturing industrial clusters.

The coordinated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region should ultimately improve the people's wellbeing and promote common prosperity, Xi said, adding that constant efforts should be made to enhance the people's sense of fulfillment, happiness and security.

Xi stressed the need to promote key ecological conservation and restoration projects such as the sand control belts in northern China and major ecological projects such as the building of ecological shields.

Xi urged efforts to further accelerate the development of transportation and other infrastructure, as well as efforts to advance intra-regional coordination.

Beijing's edge in scientific and technological innovation should be combined with Tianjin's strength in advanced manufacturing research and development, Xi said, calling for strengthening joint efforts to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields.

Xi urged efforts to help eligible areas in Hebei absorb the scientific and technological spillovers from Beijing and Tianjin as well as the transfer of industries. He also called for building the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region into a national pacesetter in opening-up.

Xi stressed the need to further enhance the political and organizational role of Party organizations at various levels to provide a strong guarantee for the coordinated development of the region.

Premier Li Qiang and Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, both members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, accompanied Xi in the inspection trip and attended the meeting.

In his remarks, Li Qiang urged efforts to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region more effectively and efficiently, focus on relieving Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as the national capital, and ensure notable results will be achieved in landmark projects in the process.

Ding Xuexiang called for persistent endeavor to prevent and control air pollution and bring the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to a new level.

The blind development of energy-intensive projects with high emissions and backward production capacity must be curbed, said Ding. He also urged redoubled efforts in developing new and clean energy and preventing and controlling pollution.