Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang has urged the speeding up of industrialization, urbanization and agricultural modernization in the country, repeating the importance of the economic development mode transformation.

Li made the remarks during his inspection tour of Nanyang City, central China' s Henan Province, from Oct. 8-9 on the sideline of a symposium on the construction of the gigantic south-to-north water diversion project.

He inspected the Tianguan Group, a major biofuel company of the country, and the China Lucky Film Corporation, the nation's largest photosensitive materials and magnetic recording media maker.

Li said, to achieve China's industrialization and urbanization it is important for regions to develop their own economy according to their characteristics and advantages and to form a modern industrial structure.

The moves are also essential to expanding the country's domestic consumption and transforming the economic growth pattern, he noted.

After visiting the Costar Group, a high-tech precision optical instrument manufacturer in Nanyang, the vice premier praised the company's efforts in indigenous innovation, saying China's industrialization and corporate development must count on scientific and technological innovation.

Further, China should speed up technological progress and innovation and seize a more competitive position in the global race for future development, Li said.

As Henan is China's largest grain producer, the vice premier sent instructions on agricultural production during his inspection tour, stressing to ensure food security for the country.

To lay a solid foundation for China's industrialization and urbanization and guarantee food security, Li said, the country must further implement policies that benefit agriculture and farmers, and promote industrial management of agriculture according to local conditions.

Li also visited local farmers and instructed local officials to improve people's standards of living.

During the country's industrialization and urbanization drive, he noted, more efforts are needed in adjusting the national income distribution system to raise the income levels for farmers, residents living in the underdeveloped central and west regions, and those medium- and low-income groups.