BEIJING, April 23 -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang underscored the importance of efforts to pursue high-quality development when chairing a State Council study session on Sunday.

Li said that efforts should be made to improve our ability to pursue high-quality development, to fully implement the decisions and plans of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and to make continuous progress in promoting high-quality development.

It is an important part of Xi Jinping's economic thought to fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, and to focus on promoting high-quality development, Li said at the meeting.

He stressed that high-quality development is an intrinsic requirement of Chinese modernization, an inevitable choice when crossing major thresholds, and the key to gaining a strategic advantage.

We must take the initiative to apply the new development philosophy in all stages of economic and social development, Li said.

He noted that it is necessary to put quality first and give priority to efficiency. He said we should steadfastly deepen reform and opening-up, transform the development pattern, and make efforts to ensure and improve people's living standards in a down-to-earth manner.