BEIJING — China will press ahead reform of streamlining the approval process for businesses and foster new growth drivers to keep employment stable, according to a State Council executive meeting on March 17.

The meeting, presided over by Premier Li Keqiang, also underlined efforts to fast-track the work resumption of large investment projects to strengthen weak areas and benefit the people.

It was noted at the meeting that keeping employment stable should be a priority amid the country's efforts to promote balanced advancement in the prevention and control of the coronavirus epidemic and economic and social development.

Efforts must be made to help workers return to their posts as soon as possible while maintaining necessary epidemic control measures, according to the meeting.

It was decided that approval procedures for businesses will be streamlined with online services improved to benefit companies, especially small and micro enterprises and individually-owned businesses.

The meeting urged more market-oriented approaches to facilitate employment and entrepreneurship for key groups of labor such as college graduates and migrant workers, while encouraging national scientific research projects to recruit more college graduates.

It also called for more support to small and micro enterprises, such as easing their financing difficulties, cutting rent for collectively owned housing, ensuring supply of power and water, and waiving overdue fines.

To create new lines of work, China will make more efforts to nurture the digital economy, according to the meeting.

The country will develop a domestic service industry integrating online and offline features, as well as support the development of platforms providing online employment and social security services for flexible workers.

More emphasis should also be put on advancing the start and work resumption of large investment projects to hold investment steady and expand domestic demand.

The country will help major projects under all types of ownership to tackle shortages of labor, raw material supply, funds and protective gear to hasten the progress of 11,000 ongoing projects nationwide, according to the meeting.

It will expedite the issuance and utilization of local government special bonds and urge for solid preparation works of 4,000 new projects scheduled to break ground this year.

A "green channel" will be established to accelerate the approval process of major projects, according to the meeting.

The meeting on March 17 also noted that promoting the development of agriculture and ensuring food security is the key to sound economic and social development.

In this regard, the meeting passed a draft regulation on the prevention and control of plant diseases and pests to keep grain output stable.