President Xi Jinping has urged China's supply and marketing cooperatives to stay true to their fundamental purpose of serving agriculture, rural areas and farmers, continue deepening comprehensive reforms, and make contributions to the advancement of rural vitalization.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction on the sector's work.

Cooperatives across the country have deepened reforms and contributed a lot to promoting the development toward modern agriculture, increasing rural income and boosting integrated urban-rural development, Xi said.

He urged Party committees and governments at all levels to keep improving the work of cooperatives and give priority to advancing the modernization of agriculture and the rural areas and consolidating the foundation of the Party's governance in rural areas.

He also urged the cooperatives to improve systems and mechanisms, expand service areas, and accelerate efforts to become a comprehensive platform for serving rural production and livelihood as well as a bridge for the Party and the government to connect with farmers.

Xi's instruction was conveyed to and studied at the 7th Congress of the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, which opened Thursday in Beijing.

Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, gave an instruction regarding cooperatives.

Li called on the cooperatives to, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, implement the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council and keep advancing reform and innovations.