SHANGHAI, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has stressed advancing reform and opening up, and optimizing the business environment amid continuous efforts to unleash market vitality and social creativity.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour of Shanghai from Monday to Tuesday.

Inspecting the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, Li acknowledged its institutional innovations in investment, trade, and finance. He encouraged the Zone to continue to experiment and gain new experiences.

At an industrial park of smart manufacturing companies, Li learned about the research and development of high-end intelligent equipment and exchanged ideas with executives from foreign companies.

"China will open its door wider to the world and strictly protect intellectual property rights so that more foreign companies can invest and do business in China with confidence," he said.

Chinese companies should make good use of the opportunities presented by better trade and investment liberalization and facilitation as provided by the upcoming implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to expand win-win cooperation, he said.

While paying a visit to a power generation company in Shanghai, Li said that efforts should be made to ensure electricity supply for people's livelihood and production orders.

At a local employment promotion center, Li urged participants of a training session to enhance their skills to be better prepared for jobs. He also asked about the difficulties facing smaller companies in the market and promised policies to address the concerns of market entities.

Acknowledging Shanghai's social and economic development achievements, Li urged the city to continue to take the lead in reform and opening up and innovations, and contribute more to the country's development.