Premier Wen Jiabao called for sustainable economic and social development in Shanghai during his recent inspection tour of the city.

The premier visited factories, high-tech firms and local residents on May 24-25.

During his visit to the East China Power Grid Company and the Waigaoqiao Power Plant, the premier said that the development of the power industry should be combined with energy saving efforts, as power supply was still a knotty problem in China's economic development.

"We should focus on the construction of both power plants and power grids, and devote more in the combination and coordination between the supply and management of electric power, so as to ensure stable and secure power supply," Wen said.

While visiting a high-tech development zone in Shanghai, Wen said the development of science and technology should rely on the market and talents.

He urged setting up market-based platforms for the research, development and incubation of high technologies. He also encouraged innovations, hoping more talents would develop promising and competitive technologies with their own intellectual property rights (IPR).

He reminded Shanghai to implement the "scientific concept of development" all the way in its development and to strengthen macro-economic control, adjust and optimize industrial structure, deepening of reforms and improve economic growth.

"It's necessary to handle correctly the relations among knowledge-intensive, skill-intensive and labor-intensive industries and the relations between pillar industries and other social causes, including education, culture and sanitation, which are all indispensable for realizing comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable social and economic development," he said.

(People's Daily May 28, 2004)