SHANGHAI -- Premier Li Keqiang said Monday that China will deepen healthcare reform to cover both urban and rural residents with universal health care.

Li made the remarks during a speech in the eastern Chinese city of Shanghai at the opening ceremony of the Ninth Global Conference on Health Promotion (GCHP).

China began its most recent round of healthcare reform in 2009, vowing to find a Chinese way to addressing the worldwide challenge of healthcare reform, said Li.

Currently, the average life expectancy in China is 76.3 years old. The maternal mortality rate has dropped to 20.1 per 100,000, and the infant mortality rate has decreased to 8.1 per 1,000.

This means China's averages beat many middle- and high-income countries, said the premier.

"We will forge ahead with the next stage of reform with greater courage and wisdom," he said.

He said changes will be seen across public hospitals, with many administrative barriers broken and better cooperation among hospitals of all levels and types.

China will improve the medical insurance system to cover the whole population, reform the medicine supply system and better motivate medical staff, the premier said.

Organized by China and the World Health Organization, the conference is being held in Shanghai from Nov. 21 to 24.

Titled "Promoting health in the Sustainable Development Goals: Health for all and all for health," some 1,200 representatives, including leading politicians, from more than 120 countries and regions participated in the conference.