China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin on Tuesday called for increased efforts of democratic parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce to promote the development of a poverty-stricken city in southwest China.

Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the call at a working conference on supporting the construction of Bijie, a city in Guizhou Province.

Bijie was approved by the State Council, China's cabinet, in 1988 as a trial zone featuring ecological environment protection and construction, development and poverty-alleviation.

Jia said the significant economic and social achievement made in Bijie over the past 20 years exemplifies the enormous advantages of the political system of multi-party cooperation and the political consultation system under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Jia outlined three major tasks for Bijie's future development: development and poverty alleviation, ecological construction and population control must be firmly grasped.

He also called for efforts to explore new ways to develop the region.

Efforts should be made to pursue leap-forward development in both economy and society in the region, he said.

In the same meeting, Du Qinglin, head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, said the construction of Bijie trial zone had made significant phase achievements.

The region, where the poor once struggled to have adequate food and clothing, was on its way to becoming a place where the people can generally lead a well-off life, he said.

Over the past two decades, people from the democratic parties offered enormous support to develop the hilly hinterland region that is home to more than 20 ethnic minorities.

They helped to contribute to local education programs, training of migrant workers, building local medical institutions, constructing hydropower stations and helped tackle prevailing ecological problems including desertification.

The CPPCC is a patriotic united front organization of the Chinese people, serving as a key mechanism for multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC, and a major manifestation of socialist democracy.

(Xinhua News Agency April 15, 2009)