Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for more efforts to promote social, economic development in the underdeveloped western areas of the country.

Hu made the call during his three-day visit to northwestern Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from Sunday to Tuesday.

President Hu in Ningxia

This year marks the tenth anniversary of China's campaign to develop the west.

Hu said the past decade witnessed a good beginning of and laid a solid foundation for the "West Development" drive and the next decade would be a crucial period for pushing forward the campaign.

To develop the west would remain one of the priorities in the 12th five-year plan starting 2011, during which the central government would provide more favorable policies and greater funds to western areas, Hu said.

He called for transforming the economic growth pattern, and improving people's livelihood, as he visited local factories, farms, renovated shanty-towns and new villages housing farmers that had migrated to from virtually uninhabitable areas.

In his visit to a successful company which manufactures rare metal products, Hu said the central government attached strategic importance to developing the new material industry. He called on companies to innovate on technology, produce new products and implement new management practices.

When visiting Ningxia Forestry Institute (LTD.CO), Hu was briefed by researchers on growing salt-proof and drought-resistant plants with bio-technology, plants that suited the local environment. Hu called on the scientific institute to make contributions to local ecological and environmental protection.

He praised a diary farm for setting up corporatives and pooling funds for local diary farmers to expand production and earn more.

In his visit to a dam on the Yellow River, Hu stressed infrastructure construction so as to protect local people from floods.

The Xinghai Lake wetland reserve in Shizuishan city used to be severely polluted. After years of ecological protection, the wetland reverted to be a paradise of birds.

When visiting the wet land reserve, Hu said, ecological and environmental protection must be the priority. He called on efforts of Ningxia to improve its own environment and to help build an ecological safety-net for the entire western region.