HANGZHOU, April 1 (Xinhua) - Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has called for efforts to smooth global supply chain to ensure normal economic and trade activities.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour for COVID-19 control and work resumption in east China's Zhejiang Province from Sunday to Wednesday. 

Though the increasingly fast spread of the COVID-19 abroad has disrupted international economic and trade activities and brought new challenges to China's economic development, it has also provided fresh opportunities for expediting the country's development in science and technology and advancing industrial upgrading, Xi said.

More efforts should be made to accelerate and further expand work and production resumption in an orderly manner on the premise of strictly implementing pandemic prevention and control measures, Xi said.

While seizing the opportunities of industrial digitization and digital industrialization, China also needs to expedite the construction of "new infrastructure" projects such as 5G networks and data centers, and deploy strategic emerging sectors and industries of the future including digital economy, life health services and new materials, he said.

Xi also stressed the importance of expanding reform of important areas and key links.