Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday (March 7) called for intensified and consistent efforts to reduce poverty when he joined a panel discussion with lawmakers from southwest Guizhou Province.

He noted that the poverty relief work is an uphill journey since the country's impoverished population mostly reside in the ecologically vulnerable areas, which are vulnerable to natural disasters.

"We must strive to strengthen the self-development capability of poverty-stricken areas in order to help the poor out of poverty as soon as possible and build a firm foundation for a better-off society in an all-around way," Wen told the deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) who were in Beijing for their annual full session.

In his discussion with NPC deputies from south Guangdong Province, Vice Premier Li Keqiang urged the province to "actively and steadily" advance its urbanization.

Li also said efforts should be made to push forward the integration of economic and social development between urban and rural areas.

He Guoqiang, a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, joined NPC deputies from Jiangxi Province in their panel discussion.

He urged to make concrete efforts to build, protect and develop the ecological economic area around Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, to boost the development of green economy in the province.