Chinese President Xi Jinping joins a panel discussion with deputies to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at the annual session of the NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that the "great wall of iron" to safeguard national unity, ethnic solidarity and social stability should be fortified in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during a panel discussion with national lawmakers from Xinjiang at the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC).

Xi called for safeguarding ethnic unity, and reinforcing solidarity between the military and government, soldiers and civilians, police and the public, as well as between the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and local communities.

Xinjiang is an important "security barrier" in northwest China which holds a special strategic position and faces special issues, Xi said, adding that governing the region well is of great significance.

He stressed that maintaining stability in Xinjiang is a political responsibility, and that stability-related issues must be handled in a thorough, timely and proper manner.

He called for efforts to make long-term strategies, strengthen the foundation, and achieve lasting peace and stability in Xinjiang.

Xi urged greater efforts to protect the environment and build a beautiful Xinjiang. "Let people of all ethnic groups feel the Party's care and the warmth of the motherland," he said.

Xi called for comprehensively implementing targeted poverty alleviation policies and taking the poor areas in southern Xinjiang as the main battlefield in poverty relief.

He also stressed guiding people of different ethnic groups to enhance their sense of identity with the motherland, the Chinese nation, Chinese culture, the CPC and socialism with Chinese characteristics."

Calling Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps an important force in the region's socio-economic development, Xi said the corps' special advantages and vitality should be brought into full play.

Other Chinese leaders including Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also attended separate panel discussions with NPC deputies Friday.

In a panel discussion with lawmakers from Anhui Province, Premier Li Keqiang stressed the major task of advancing supply-side structural reform, while urging government departments to shift their focus to improving oversight and serving businesses.

Related work should be accelerated to foster new growth engines to replace traditional drivers, Li said, promising equal treatment for market entities of various ownerships.

While joining lawmakers from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said that lawmakers should accomplish the historic mission of formulating the general provisions of the civil law to lay a solid foundation for compiling a civil code with Chinese characteristics and spirit of the time.

He called for sticking to the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics and stepping up building a comprehensive system of laws.

Joining a panel discussion with NPC deputies from Jilin Province, Liu Yunshan, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, stressed preparations and publicity for the 19th CPC National Congress, which is slated for the second half of this year.

Liu urged strict implementation of all sorts of tasks to advance comprehensive and strict governance of the Party.

Joining lawmakers from Gansu Province, Wang Qishan, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, called on senior officials to play exemplary roles in spearheading the country's current drive to comprehensively build a moderately prosperous society.

He also urged the Party's disciplinary inspectors to step up self-supervision and subject themselves to supervision from within the Party, the public and the media.

In a panel discussion with NPC deputies from Fujian Province, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli urged the province to actively take part in China's major development strategies such as the Belt and Road Initiative and push forward the supply-side structural reform.

Zhang called for efforts in revitalizing the real economy, developing advanced manufacturing and stepping up industrial optimization and upgrading. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping joins a panel discussion with deputies to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at the annual session of the NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

Chinese President Xi Jinping looks at photos of the family of Kurban Tulum when joining a panel discussion with deputies to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at the annual session of the NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2017. Xi has written to a daughter of Kurban Tulum, who was twice received by the late Chairman Mao Zedong, underlining ethnic solidarity and efforts to build a bright future for Xinjiang under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)

Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with deputies to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region when joining a panel discussion with them at the annual session of the NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

Chinese President Xi Jinping receives a traditional Uygur hat, a gift symbolizing the highest respect and best wishes from people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, when joining a panel discussion with deputies to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at the annual session of the NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with deputies to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region when joining a panel discussion with them at the annual session of the NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)