GUANGZHOU, April 13 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of remaining steadfast in comprehensively deepening reform and expanding high-standard opening up, and urged Guangdong Province, a pacesetter of the country's reform and opening up, to take the lead in advancing Chinese modernization.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspection tour of Guangdong in south China from Monday to Thursday.

Noting that Guangdong is a pioneer and pacesetter of China's reform and opening up, Xi said the province bears great importance and plays an outstanding role in Chinese modernization.

He asked the province to take the lead in comprehensively deepening reform, promoting high-standard opening up, beefing up China's self-reliance and strength in science and technology, modernizing its industrial system, and coordinating balanced development between urban and rural areas and between regions.

On Monday morning, Xi visited a mariculture base under a national-level key project in the city of Zhanjiang, where he called for attention to food security in China, a country with a population of over 1.4 billion, emphasizing the need to utilize both land and sea resources.

Xi called for elaborate efforts in developing the breeding industry as it serves as the foundation of the development of modern agriculture and aquaculture.

More should be done to develop deep-sea aquaculture equipment and smart fishing industry, Xi said, calling for further upgrading of marine fishery.

Xi referred to the mangrove forests located in a national nature reserve in Zhanjiang as a national treasure and urged for careful protection in a way like people protect their own eyes. He emphasized the need for persistent efforts towards green development, with aims to build a beautiful China while also contributing to the preservation of the global environment.

On Monday afternoon, Xi arrived at Xuwen Port, a key project that facilitates the collaborative development of Guangdong with its neighboring island province of Hainan.

He was informed about Guangdong's endeavors to improve regional connectivity through the development of better transportation infrastructure and to align its development with that of the Hainan Free Trade Port.

Xi emphasized the role of the Qiongzhou Strait between Guangdong and Hainan as a vital gateway to the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port. He said Xuwen Port should be upgraded into a modern, comprehensive hub of water and land transportation that connects the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hainan Free Trade Port.

While in the county of Xuwen, Xi also visited a reservoir that is part of a water diversion project in Guangdong.

China must take issues related to water resources into consideration when pushing forward modernization, as the country faces the challenges of insufficient and unbalanced water resources, he said.

On Tuesday, Xi went to a village known for growing lychees, a subtropical fruit much loved by Chinese for generations, in the city of Maoming, where he visited a plantation, talked with agricultural technicians and learned about the operation of a cooperative and its function in promoting rural revitalization.

Xi called for enhancing technologies used in lychee cultivation, preservation, and processing to boost the sector and culture-themed tourism.

Bidding farewell to villagers, Xi said that to advance Chinese modernization, it is imperative to comprehensively advance rural revitalization and effectively address the imbalance between urban and rural areas and between regions.

Xi went on to say that by adhering to the path of common prosperity, more resources should be allocated to assist less developed areas, promote social etiquette and civility, enhance the living environment, and protect the rural eco-environment to improve the quality of life for the people.

On Wednesday, Xi went to the city of Guangzhou, capital city of Guangdong. He visited LG Display's manufacturing base.

Xi said that China's market strengths will become more apparent as the country quickens the formation of a new development pattern and further improves the business environment amidst the backdrop of sluggish global economic growth.

He expressed the hope that foreign investors will seize opportunities and achieve greater business success by coming to China, particularly Guangdong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

In an inspection of GAC Aion New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd., Xi listened to reports about the company's progress in making technological breakthroughs and other work. While visiting the carmaker's R&D center, he talked with researchers, entrepreneurs, employees, and representatives of foreign enterprises.

China's policy of reform and opening up will remain unchanged over the long term, Xi said.

He stated that China is ready to collaborate with any nations that are interested in engaging in mutually beneficial cooperation to advance the shared prosperity and development of global economy.

Stressing the significance of the real economy and self-reliance for a country as big as China, Xi said core technologies in key fields should be based on independent research and development while international cooperation is also welcomed.

China should strengthen education and talent cultivation to lay a solid foundation for self-reliance and strength in science and technology, Xi said.