Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan attended an event marking International Children’s Day at China National Children’s Center in Beijing on May 31.

Sun, also head of the National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council, encouraged children to grow to be socialist builders and successors.

She told the children to do more physical exercise and develop healthy lifestyles, and she also sang with them.

Sun said that governments at all levels, relevant departments, and practitioners involved in relevant work should adhere to the children-first principle and ensure children and teenagers from all ethnic groups grow up healthily.

Efforts should be increased developing pre-school education, allocating compulsory education resources, guaranteeing vulnerable groups’ access to education, and taking care of left-behind children, Sun said.

Sun further said that governments, families, schools and society should work together to create a better environment for children, adding that she hopes parents pass on good morals and virtues to children.

Shen Yueyue, vice-chairwoman of the NPC Standing Committee and president of the All-China Women’s Federation, also attended the event.