Chinese State Councilor Chen Zhili ordered increased efforts to build Mianyang Scientific and Technological City in southwest China's Sichuan Province into a major innovation base.

Chen issued the instructions Thursday at a meeting in Sichuan on the construction of the base.

The State Council approved the program on the development of the Mianyang Scientific and Technological City and established an inter-ministerial coordination group to support construction of the city in July 2001.

So far, 939 businesses have settled in the city, including 118 large and medium-sized ones. Annual GDP of the city has reached 21.3 billion yuan (US$2.57 billion).

Mianyang is a major scientific research base for national defense and a major electronic industrial base in China. China's major TV maker Changhong is based in the city.

(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2005)