Chinese leaders on Friday called for ethnic unity, poverty relief and new development concepts during the ongoing annual parliamentary session.

Speaking to lawmakers from Yunnan Province, Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, said there needed to be more exchanges between ethnic groups in the ethnically-diverse province.

Yu also said education must be improved for ethnic minorities and that there needed to be more precision in poverty relief.

Joining lawmakers from Guizhou Province, one of the country's poorest areas, Wang Qishan, head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, called for grassroots Party organizations to play a bigger role in the battle against poverty.

Local authorities should ensure favorable policies are rolled out to poor people. The Party will be strict in punishing anyone who embezzles poverty relief funds, Wang said.

In a panel deliberation with lawmakers from the northwestern province of Shaanxi, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli asked provincial authorities to adhere to the development concepts of innovation, coordination, safeguarding the environment, opening up and sharing.

Zhang also urged Shaanxi to get involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, implement an innovation-driven development strategy and push supply-side structural reforms.