Development is primary task: Premier Li

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has stressed that development is China's primary task, and is the key to "resolving problems."

China is under great pressure for completing the task of maintaining a steady growth, especially when it is facing complicated domestic and global environment, Li said during an inspection tour in the southernmost province of Hainan after attending the Boao Forum for Asia there.[Special coverage]

Li stayed on the island, China's largest special economic zone, from Thursday to Friday. But a detailed itinerary of the inspection was given to Xinhua on Sunday.

To keep China's economic growth within a "reasonable range," local authorities must dare to shoulder responsibilities and work out effective measures to advance reform, expand domestic and international markets and nurture development momentum, Li said.

But economic development must not base on sacrificing the environment, as ecological protection is also the productivity and "green fortune," according to Li.

The premier made a special visit to the Dongzhai Harbor, where thousands of hectares of mangrove grow. He went there to learn about how the once endangered coastal forest has been restored.

"Protecting the mangrove and other precious ecological resources is for the sake of the nation and for creating a better environment for the people," He said.

Li also went to the Administration of Commerce and Industry in Haikou, the provincial capital, to learn about how the central government's policy of cutting the red tape is implemented.

The premier was told that the number of newly registered companies had soared 77 percent year on year in the past three months, with the registered capital growing by 247 percent.

Since March 2013, the then newly-elected Premier Li has been trumpeting streamlining administrative approvals and cutting red tape to help the market function efficiently.

In his first government work report delivered to the National People's Congress in March this year, he pledged to abolish or delegate another 200 administrative approvals to governments at lower levels, following the 416 last year.

Better management must also be in place to ensure a fair market while giving more freedom to the companies, Li said, praising a local system to blacklist companies with illicit practice.

During the inspection, Li stepped into a roadside store and bought two bags of native snacks. He encouraged the province, which is noted for its tropical fruit products and seafood, to produce more specialties to drive consumption.

The premier also visited the Haikou Harbor.