Chinese Premier Li Qiang presides over a State Council group study session on strengthening the implementation of the functional zoning strategy and promoting coordinated regional development on June 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday called for efforts to coordinate and optimize the spatial layouts of agricultural, ecological and urban spaces, and further improve the country's functional zoning system.

Li made the remarks while presiding over a State Council group study session on strengthening the implementation of the functional zoning strategy and promoting coordinated regional development.

These efforts should promote the formation of a new pattern for the development and protection of territorial space featuring clearly defined functions, complementary strengths and high-quality development, providing strong support for promoting coordinated regional development and optimizing the layout of major productive forces, said Li.

Li said efforts should be made to optimize functional zoning and make spatial governance more targeted and refined, while improving the policy and institutional system suited to functional zoning to guide different regions in pursuing differentiated and coordinated development.

Stressing that the coordinated regional development strategy, major regional strategies and the new urbanization strategy are all major strategies based on territorial space, Li called for efforts to promote the coordinated implementation and integration of the functional zoning strategy with other major national strategies.

Li also stressed the need to improve implementation mechanism for the functional zoning strategy, strengthen coordination among departments and localities, improve supporting systems, enhance policy integration, and form greater synergy in this work.

At the session, Fan Jie, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a lecture. Vice Premiers He Lifeng and Liu Guozhong and State Councilor Shen Yiqin also delivered speeches.