BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called for further efforts to improve the country's work safety mechanism to effectively prevent accidents.

In an instruction to a commendation meeting to honor organizations and individuals for their outstanding safety work, Xi asked authorities at all levels to keep in mind the redline that "development should not come at the cost of safety."

Regulators should focus on containing and preventing major accidents, and seek comprehensive solutions to resolve problems and eliminate the root causes in the work safety sector, Xi said.