XIAMEN, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has urged east China's Fujian Province to play a pioneering role in the country's modernization drive by staying committed to its development goals.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour in the coastal province on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Fujian, a forerunner in the country's reform and opening up drive, is an economic powerhouse with a robust private economy. Facing Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait, the province is building itself into a demonstration zone for cross-Strait integrated development.

Fujian should continue to make greater progress in accelerating the development of a modern economic system, Xi said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Xi inspected Dongshan County in the city of Zhangzhou, and learned about the sale of dried seafood and the fishing harvest at a local village.

Xi, who visited the village 23 years ago, said he was delighted to see that the village has undergone tremendous changes, adding that China's countryside will surely have a brighter prospect on the new journey in the new era.

He then paid a visit to the Gu Wenchang memorial hall, where he learned about the inspiring deeds of Gu, a former Party chief of Dongshan.

Calling on officials at all levels to learn from Gu, Xi asked them to win public recognition from the people they serve.

At the Guandi cultural industrial park, Xi learned about local efforts in strengthening the protection of cultural heritage and promoting cultural exchanges across the Taiwan Strait.

On Wednesday morning, Xi visited the Xiamen Area of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone, urging local authorities to adapt to the evolving situation, steadily promote institutional opening up, and make new achievements in expanding high-level opening up.

On Wednesday afternoon, Xi was briefed on the work of the CPC provincial committee and the provincial government of Fujian, and made instructions for the province's future work.

Xi urged the province to break new ground in deepening integration between scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation.

Efforts must be made to accelerate the establishment of institutions and mechanisms to support all-around innovation, promote integrated reform of institutions and mechanisms pertaining to education, science and technology, and talent in a coordinated manner, and develop new quality productive forces in line with local conditions, he said.

Stressing the need to play a pioneering role in deepening reform comprehensively and pursuing higher-standard opening up, Xi called on Fujian to upgrade its free trade zone development, engage further in the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and build itself into a core area of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

He also asked the province to set an example in promoting coordinated regional development and integrated urban-rural development, push forward the building of national ecological conservation pilot zones, and move faster in establishing national demonstration zones for boosting the marine economy in the cities of Fuzhou and Xiamen.

Xi urged the eastern province to develop its culture and tourism sector into a pillar industry.

Underscoring the importance of promoting cross-Strait cultural exchanges, he called for enhancing the sense of the Chinese national and cultural identity among Taiwan compatriots.

Xi also urged all-out efforts on economic work in the fourth quarter of this year to strive to achieve the annual economic and social development goals.