Premier Li Keqiang urged further reform, opening-up, and innovation in promoting comprehensive revitalization of Northeast China during his inspection trip to Mudanjiang and Harbin, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, from Aug 19 to 20.

He checked a paddy field in Mudanjiang and asked about the price of rice, income of farmers and labor costs.

Being told the rice produced at this place is sold all over the country, Premier Li said the rice produced in the southern area used to be transported to the north in the past. Today the situation is different.

"You should work to make the brand more famous, with higher quality," he said.

The Premier said that Northeast China, with good production conditions, should break the constraints to improve scaled-up agricultural operations, and promote large-scale machinery to accelerate agricultural modernization.

Premier Li visited a food market in Harbin city and asked about the prices and sales of pork, vegetables, eggs, soy products and fruits.

The Premier said multiple measures should be taken to ensure market supply, price stability, and food quality and safety, because the rise in food prices will have a great impact on people, especially low-income families.

Premier Li also heard a report on vocational skills improvement in Heilongjiang province, and lauded the plan to train 1 million people in the next three years and a real-name system for vocational training subsidies.

He then talked with teachers and students from Mudanjiang Technician Institute, and encouraged the students to pursue professionalism and craftsmanship.

The gap in skilled talent in China is as high as 20 million, the Premier said, adding that vocational training can meet the needs of both enterprises and individuals, enhance the competitiveness of enterprises, and contribute to moving Chinese industries up to the medium-high end.

The Premier encouraged more than 2,000 technical schools nationwide to give full play to their role and train more skilled talent while expanding their enrollment.

Premier Li inspected the new economic industrial park in Harbin and learned about the makers' mass entrepreneurship and innovation achievements in robots, industrial internet, platform economy and cross-border e-commerce.

Revitalizing the northeast region should mainly depend on reform, opening-up and innovation, which requires an improved business environment to keep local talent and attract talent nationwide, the Premier said.

He also called for increasing the competitiveness of large enterprises, and promoting the development of medium and small ones to speed up the replacement of old growth drivers with new ones.

Stabilizing the price of common medicines has been another concern of Premier Li. During his visit to Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd, he stressed that health is a basic for people’s happy life.

Healthcare is a promising industry and medicine is a rigid demand of the people, said Premier Li, adding that pharmaceutical companies should strengthen their responsibility not only to ensure the production, supply, quality and stable price of common medicines, but also to research easy-to-get, affordable, safe, reliable, and effective new medicines to meet people's demands.

The Premier highly appreciated the economic and social development achievements in Heilongjiang province, and expressed his expectations for its bigger role in revitalizing the northeast region.

State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council Xiao Jie also joined the inspection.