BEIJING — President Xi Jinping has stressed that solving issues related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers is the top priority for the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at the two-day annual central rural work conference which closed in Beijing on Dec 29.

Efforts must be made to promote the efficiency and quality of the agricultural sector, make rural areas suitable to live and work in and ensure that farmers are affluent and well-off, he told the meeting.

With China at a historical juncture of marching toward its second centenary goal, the task of consolidating and extending the achievements of poverty alleviation, pushing forward all-around rural vitalization and accelerating the modernization of the agricultural sector and rural areas is a major issue essential to the overall situation that deserves the high attention of the whole Party, Xi noted.

Consolidating the foundation for agriculture, rural areas and work relating to farmers is "the ballast" for the country to tackle the changing situations and open up new prospects, he said.

The conference was chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Other leaders present at the meeting included Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng.