BEIJING -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday called for persistent efforts to improve Party conduct and build a clean government to provide a strong guarantee for high-quality development and a good start to the construction of a modern socialist country in all respects.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at a State Council meeting on clean governance.

Ding Xuexiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese vice premier, presided over the meeting. The meeting was attended by Li Xi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Noting that improving Party conduct and building a clean government is an important component of exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance, Li Qiang said the government must advance this self-governance and remain committed to improving Party conduct and building a clean government.

The government must strengthen its credibility and administrative capacity to earn the people's trust and better serve the people, he said, stressing that efforts must be made to build a government that is law-based, innovative, clean and service-oriented.

This year is the first year for fully implementing the guiding principles from the 20th CPC National Congress. Tenacious efforts should be made to implement the central Party leadership's eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct, and to correct formalities for formalities' sake, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance, the premier said.

Work should be done to ensure that officials do not dare, are not able and do not want to be corrupt, and corruption in key areas must be prevented and punished strictly, he added.