BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the government to strike a balance between the conservation of cultural relics and economic development.

In a written instruction to a national meeting on the topic on Tuesday, Xi said that the balance is a difficult one to strike in a country that is urbanizing at such a fast pace.

The president called cultural relics "a valuable legacy from our ancestors," stressing that conservation will benefit future generations.

He urged Party and government departments to keep in mind that this conservation is part of their official duties, and suggested that "private sectors should be mobilized and involved in the effort."

Premier Li Keqiang also wrote comments on the country's relics protection, saying the work should help amplify the role of outstanding traditional culture in inspiring and propelling the progress of modern society.

Local authorities should contribute more efforts to protecting cultural relics and enhancing supervision, Li said.

Scientific preservation of cultural relics means giving full play the social, cultural, and educational function of relics, the premier said, adding the whole society should be encouraged to actively participate in preserving them.