Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (L) attends the Chinese Lunar New Year reception for retired senior cadres and veteran comrades of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2010. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

Xi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the call at a Chinese Lunar New Year reception for retired senior cadres and veteran comrades of the Party.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping addresses the Chinese Lunar New Year reception for retired senior cadres and veteran comrades of Communist Party of China in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2010. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

Retired cadres had made great contributions to China's development and were a great treasure of the country, Xi said.

He urged Party and government departments as well as the entire society to respect the retired cadres, and to take better care of them, especially those who were sick, or living in poverty-stricken areas.

They should also support the retired cadres to make further contributions to the country's development, he said.

Xi said at the reception that although last year was the most difficult year for China's economic development since the new century, the country had managed to achieve an overall recovering trend after the government carried out proper measures.

The country also made remarkable progress in improving its people's livelihoods in education, employment, social security, health and housing sectors, he said.

Noting that year 2010 was the final year of China's 11th Five Year Plan, Xi called for stepped-up efforts to build a well-off society in an all-round way.