Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said China will keep consistent macro-economic policies, promote structural adjustment, develop new growth sectors, improve growth quality and increase people's livelihood to ensure stable and fast economic growth.

He made the remarks when visiting factories and mines in north China's Shanxi Province on Saturday and Sunday. Shanxi is a leading energy base with pillar industries of coal, metallurgy and chemical products.

Visiting Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group) Company Ltd., Wen said the steel sector must eliminate backward production capacity, speed up merger and restructuring and link steel sector with information technology, new materials and recycle economy to make the sector strong.

While visiting Taiyuan Heavy Machinery (Group) Company Ltd., the premier said high-end products could ensure a stable market share and China would made structural adjustment and expanding domestic demand, especially consumption, as long-term and basic principles to cope with the global economic downturn.

In the visit of other companies, Wen stressed that only those that own high and key technology, independent intellectual property rights and high-end products could maintain long-term competitive edges.

It was especially important to develop new growth sectors through boosting new energies, new materials, biological medicines, energy saving technology and environmental protection, Wen said.

The premier also visited a retired miner's home in Datong.

Jiao Jianzhong, 65, said he left his shanty three years ago and moved into the community built to relocate miners living at subsiding areas above coal mines.

Wen said he was happy to see that Jiao's living conditions had improved.

Wen said coal miners should not be forgotten as they contributed a lot to the country's coal sector and industrialization. He promised more measures to improve miners' life and complete social security to ensure better life for the public.

He visited Tashan mine, with 15 million tonnes of annual production capacity and about 800 miners, under Datong Coal Mine Group.

Wen descended about 460 meters through a 7-kilometer tunnel into a pit to meet miners working underground. Wen inspected their working processes and had dinner with them at noon.

He also asked the miners to pay much attention to safety during his two-hour stay in the pit.

(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2009)