Efforts should be made for flood prevention, disaster relief and post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, and to sustain the momentum of restorative economic growth through continued opening-up, Premier Li Keqiang said during a recent visit to Southwest China’s Chongqing municipality.

The first stop was a region affected by unexpected and unprecedented floods recently hitting the Chongqing section of the Yangtze River and Jialing River.

President Xi Jinping's significant instructions on flood prevention, disaster relief and post-disaster reconstruction should be fully implemented, and actions should be taken to enhance science-based flood control operations, rescue efforts, and production resumption, Premier Li said.

At the flooded Shuangba village in Tongnan district, the Premier learned about the damage to homes and about relocated villagers.

With farmland and greenhouses destroyed, Premier Li inquired about difficulties in rebuilding them and urged local officials to provide greater support.

Aware that many migrant workers returned to help cope with the flood, the Premier called for a coordinated response to weather the difficulties and rebuild their homes, with the help of the Party and the government.

The Premier then inspected a key reservoir of the city, and whether low-lying areas had been submerged by floodwater, urging introduction of policies and mechanisms directly benefiting the disaster-stricken areas, to support local efforts in repairing flooded projects as well as in building urban infrastructure such as those for flood prevention and drainage.

In the Ciqikou business district, the Premier talked to shop owners and others about business losses caused by the COVID-19 epidemic and the flood, and progress in resuming consumption and tourism.

The Premier said bringing the service sector back to full capacity to spur consumption is crucial for helping the economy continue its recovery, and national policies should kick in to support enterprises and merchants in getting through this difficult time and push tourism and other service industries toward normal operations to unleash enormous consumption potential, on the premise of regular epidemic prevention and control measures.

While visiting Zhubajie Network, a local internet company, Premier Li expressed his appreciation for their efforts to build a platform for mass entrepreneurship and innovation. The company has brought together a large number of professionals to provide services for small, medium and micro businesses and helped create many jobs.

Each ordinary person can be endowed with superb wisdom, and pooling together the wisdom of a great many is the essential meaning of mass entrepreneurship and innovation, the Premier said.

At Changan Automobile Co Ltd, Premier Li was told that the company has maintained steady growth despite the overall sales decline in the automobile industry due to the impact of the pandemic. Premier Li encouraged the company to develop more products that drive up consumption.

Premier Li learned about technological innovation while visiting BOE Technology Group, an Internet of Things (IoT) company. He also urged the western regions to take advantage of its great potential and capabilities, undertake industries transferred from the east, upgrade its industries, and promote high-quality development.

Policies to ensure stability on six fronts and security in six areas have seen positive results in recent months’ macro economy, Premier Li said as he inspected the enterprises.

Tasks such as adding over 9 million new urban jobs and stabilizing hundreds of millions of market entities are all closely related to economic growth, Premier Li said, calling for continued efforts and preparations for uncertain factors in development.

During the visit at an administrative service center, Premier Li heard reports on administrative reforms in Chongqing. Local small and micro businesses’ staff members told the Premier that enterprises were benefiting from the stronger-than-expected policies.

Premier Li also urged further lowering the market-entry threshold to stimulate the vitality of market entities, in addition to cutting taxes and fees.

The online government service in Chongqing has brought convenience to its people and enterprises, which is the purpose of the administrative reform, the Premier said.

The Premier fully affirmed Chongqing’s achievements in economic and social development, flood prevention and relief, and pandemic control, and hoped that the municipality would lead in reform, opening-up and innovation in the western region, and help write a new chapter in development.

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