Steps outlined for improving finance sector

National conference stresses high-quality services for economic, social development

China's top leadership has outlined steps to build up the nation's competitiveness in the financial sector, highlighting the need to strengthen financial regulation across the board, improve the financial system and optimize the sector's services while preventing and defusing risks.

The two-day, tone-setting central financial work conference, which concluded on Tuesday in Beijing, underscored that the nation will always maintain the prudent nature of its monetary policies, with a greater focus on conducting cross-cyclical and countercyclical adjustments.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, delivered key remarks at the conference, laying out plans for the financial sector for the current and coming period. In addition to Xi, who is also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, other members of the Party's core leadership also attended the meeting.