Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) leader Li Changchun has underscored the importance of cultural development in the country amid the global financial crisis.

Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the call at an awarding ceremony for individuals and organizations that had made remarkable contribution to China's cultural development.

Authorities must attach more importance to the country's cultural development, he said.

Li called for efforts to create a favorable social environment to promote steady economic growth and to build a well-off society, by improving the ethics and academic qualities of the Chinese public, and promoting cultural development that puts people first, he said.