BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping on Thursday stressed following a people-centered approach and placing development and people's well-being high on the agenda when promoting economic recovery.

When policies are implemented, measures adopted and actions taken, we should always give top priority to bettering people's lives, Xi said while delivering a keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously eroded the gains the world has made in poverty reduction over the past decade. Uneven recovery is aggravating inequality across the world, further widening the North-South divide," Xi said.

He underlined staying committed to building an open world economy, saying that efforts should be made to stay on top of the dominant trend of economic globalization, increase macro policy coordination and turn to science and technology for more growth drivers.

Global industrial and supply chains should be kept stable, while serious negative spillovers from policy adjustments in some countries should be prevented, Xi said.

To address uneven and inadequate development, Xi stressed paying due attention to the pressing needs of developing countries, and advancing practical cooperation in key areas such as poverty reduction, food security, development financing and industrialization.