Vice Premier Li Keqiang met Wednesday with 13 outstanding geologists and praised their contributions to the oil and mining industries.

Vice Premier Li Keqiang met Wednesday with 13 outstanding geologists and praised their contributions to the oil and mining industries.

The geologists are recipients of the "Huang Jiqing Geological Science and Technology Prize for Young Geologists".

Huang Jiqing (1904-1995) was an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. With the Huang Jiqing foundation being founded by the government in 2001, 39 young geologists had been honored in three previous occasions.

"Energy resources are of great importance for building a prosperous society and developing the country's socialist modernization," said Li.

He also urged Chinese oil inspectors to explore both domestic and international markets and resources to boost the country's economic and social development.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2009)