Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang Tuesday called for advancement of environmental protection industry to strengthen a stable, coordinated and sustainable economic development.

The environmental protection industry concerned aspects such as infrastructure building, equipment manufacturing and services and it should be considered as a strategic emerging industry, Li said during an inspection tour in the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences and China National Environmental Monitoring Center.

He said as the Copenhagen conference was held currently to address the climate change, “the development of green, low carbon and recycling economy has become a global trend.”

“We must seize the opportunity to promote technological innovation and application of research fruit” to promote the green industry so as to gain advantage in the future development, he said.

“Inadequate resources and the environment’s limited bearing capacity is the country’s basic conditions and factors confining the economic and social development,” said Li, also a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

Li urged greater efforts for ecological conservation and environmental protection and demanded speeding up the building of an energy-saving and environment-friendly society.

It is imperative to take forceful measures to tackle pollution in major rivers and lakes, to step up construction of waste water treatment facilities in urban areas and contain source of pollution in rural areas, Li said. “It is the government’s duty to ensure that the masses drink clean water.”

He said measures must be improved to control air pollution and curb the emission of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and smoke dust.

Li said environmental problems harming people’s health should be immediately addressed and the treatment and control of air, water, soil and heavy metal pollution should be stepped up.