Xi emphasizes food security

Xi pointed to science and technology as a fundamental solution to food security, saying the security of China's seed sources is a matter of national security and that the nation must remain steadfast in bolstering its seed sector.

He highlighted the need to strengthen front-line research and enhance the collection, protection and development of seed resources, adding that the nation must refine its mechanism in varietal approval and protection of intellectual property rights.

The president also stressed the necessity of guaranteeing an effective supply of meat, vegetables, fruit and aquatic products, and he called for the expansion of farmland to the whole homeland and for expanding the food supply from the nation's forests, rivers, lakes, coastal waters and facility agriculture.

He urged proactive steps to further supply-side reform in the agricultural sector to enable the development of food resources from all sources and multiple pathways, and to ensure the balanced supply of different food groups.

The nation's rural vitalization drive must give equal priority to economic growth and the strengthening of grassroots Party cells, he said.

He highlighted the significance of refining the rural governance system, deepening the practice of self-governance by villagers, cracking down on organized crime in rural areas and protecting the rights of women and children from law violators.

With China having already developed the world's largest social security system, Xi said the nation must include more people in the system, including workers on flexible payrolls, and expand the coverage of insurance for unemployment, work-related injuries and childbirth.

He pledged heightened measures to fight wrongdoings that defraud or embezzle pension funds, saying that every penny of the people's pension funds must be placed under sound protection.

The government must pay extra attention to disadvantaged groups and help them get through their difficulties, he said, adding that the reform of social aid programs must be pushed forward to make them more wide-ranging and effective.

Xi also extended festive greetings and best wishes to the country's women of all ethnic groups and from all walks of life ahead of International Women's Day, which falls on Tuesday.