President Xi Jinping called on the Inner Mongolia autonomous region to maintain its strategic focus on environmental protection and uphold an ecological shield for the country's northern border on Tuesday.

Local governments should not pursue economic growth at the cost of sacrificing the environment when faced with economic difficulties, Xi said.

Zhao Huijie, Party Secretary of Xiaomiaozi village of Chifeng city, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, said the village was striving to implement the rural revitalization strategy.

During this year’s two sessions, Zhao proposed to limit the production and use of high-persistent pesticides and to promote the use of degradable pesticides, as well as to increase subsidies and the land used for organic cultivation.