Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong has called for efforts to promote the innovative development of biomedicine and agricultural machinery and equipment, and to accelerate the construction of a modern water network.

Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour in east China's Shandong Province from Saturday to Monday.

Noting that biomedicine is an emerging pillar industry, Liu urged efforts to focus on key core technologies in innovative drugs and medical devices, strengthen basic research, deepen the empowerment of research and development by artificial intelligence, and comprehensively enhance independent innovation capacity.

He stressed the need to give full play to the role of enterprises as the mainstay of innovation, to strengthen the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements, deepen international exchanges and cooperation, and expand and strengthen the biomedicine industry.

Liu urged efforts to accelerate the research, development and application of advanced and applicable agricultural machinery and equipment, support technological upgrading and digital transformation of agricultural machinery enterprises, make good use of subsidy policies for machinery purchases and trade-ins, and improve the overall mechanization level of agricultural production.

He said water networks are major national infrastructure and called for efforts to promote the coordinated integration of water networks at all levels and effectively enhance the capacity for flood control, disaster prevention, water resource allocation, and urban and rural water supply.