Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visits northeast China

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has visited the country's northeastern Heilongjiang Province. He conveyed new year's greetings to workers, farmers, residents and officials, while calling for more efforts to improve the lives of people living there.

Braving freezing temperatures on the first two days of the year, Premier Wen Jiabao took in the cities of Daqing and Qiqihar. It was his third visit to Daqing since 2003.

At Daqing oilfield, he extended new year greetings to the workers.

Wen Jiabao, Chinese Premier, said, "Daqing people have not only produced two billion tons of oil for the country, but have also kept up the invincible Daqing spirit. This spirit has stayed strong over the past five decades. Nowadays, we still need such spirit to cope with the international financial crisis and all other difficulties. Thank you all!"

The premier then had lunch with workers, visited their dormitory, and spoke with some model workers.

He also inspected an industrial park for service outsourcing in the city. The park is looking for new points of growth in addition to the utilization of resources.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (C) tries a machine with local oil workers at Daqing Oil Field in Daqing, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 1, 2010.(Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)