Beijing, Oct 22 (IANS): China attaches great importance to educational development of the whole nation and lifelong learning, said Vice Premier Liu Yandong here Monday.

He made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the International Conference on Learning Cities, organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) from Oct 21 to 23 in Beijing, Xinhua reported.

"In the 21st century, the country emphasises lifelong learning, with the formation of a learning society as an important objective in the construction of a moderately prosperous society."

Based on the access to Internet by a population of 570 million, as Liu put it, one sixth of Chinese cities have proposed the construction of learning cities and more than 400 cities have organised reading festivals, reading months and other activities.

"We will emphasise the link between construction of learning cities and new urbanization," Liu said.

More than 500 representatives from 102 member states of Unesco participated in the conference.