As China promotes its modernization drive, sci-tech self-reliance is playing an important role in the process.

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has on various occasions called for efforts to achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology.

During his visit to the Zhonghuan Industrial Park in Hohhot, the capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on Wednesday afternoon, Xi told workers in the park that it is up to self-reliance and strength in sci-tech and building new development pattern to realize breakthroughs in science and technology.

ROLE OF ENTERPRISES

One crucial way to achieve sci-tech self-reliance is innovation, while the main players of innovation are enterprises.

On April 21, Xi presided over the first meeting of the commission for deepening overall reform of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

The meeting called for strengthening the principal position of enterprises in sci-tech innovation, which it said is a crucial move to deepen structural scientific and technological reform and achieve high-standard self-reliance and strength in science and technology.

Visiting enterprises has become one of Xi's major activities during his inspections across the country over the years. Whenever he visits an enterprise, Xi always learns about the development of the enterprise and the progress of its technological innovation.

On April 12, Xi visited the headquarters of GAC Aion New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd. in the city of Guangzhou in south China's Guangdong Province. During the visit, Xi gained insight into the enterprise's progress in achieving breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields and the company's efforts in developing higher-end, smarter and greener manufacturing.

During this inspection trip to Guangdong Province, Xi emphasized strengthening support for small and medium-sized enterprises in innovation, and cultivating more innovative enterprises with independent intellectual property rights and core competitiveness.

In June 2022, while inspecting HGLaser Engineering Co., Ltd., a laser equipment company based in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Xi noted that optoelectronic information is a high-tech industry in which China has the conditions to take the lead in achieving breakthroughs.

Breaking through bottlenecks in core technologies in key fields has been a pressing task, Xi said, calling for speeding up the realization of the country's scientific and technological self-reliance.

FRONTLINE WORKFORCE

As China speeds up efforts to build the country into a scientific and technological powerhouse, it puts great emphasis on developing a quality workforce and stimulating the vitality of talent for innovation.

When inspecting enterprises, Xi has had many conversations with frontline workers and technicians, encouraging them to devote themselves to innovation.

On May 12, Xi visited a research institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation in the city of Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province. He entered a workshop to observe the chip production process, stressing the need for new breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields.

Xi encouraged researchers to achieve consistent progress in grasping cutting-edge technologies and developing more technological and engineering equipment and projects of great significance.

In August 2022, while inspecting Siasun Robot and Automation Co., Ltd. in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, Xi set aside time to talk with technicians who were testing equipment in a factory workshop.

During the conversation, Xi asked about their college majors and professional abilities. Upon learning that the company boasted a workforce comprising over 4,000 such R&D professionals, he was delighted.

INNOVATION-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT

As China firms up its strategy of high-quality development, it has found a path to that end through greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology. To attain this result, the country will accelerate the implementation of its innovation-driven development strategy.

The innovation-driven development strategy put forward at the 18th National Congress of the CPC has led China to join the ranks of the world's innovators, with success on various fronts over the past decade.

"Why does the CPC Central Committee implement the innovation-driven development strategy? It is because it's the only way for our country to improve the industrial level and capacity, and transform our country's economy and manufacturing from being big to being strong," said Xi.

China is dedicated to creating an enabling environment for innovation through advancing the reform of its sci-tech governance system, promoting interaction between enterprises and academia, and enhancing the protection of intellectual property rights.

Over 10 years into the nation's innovation-driven development strategy, China moved up to the 11th place in the Global Innovation Index in 2022, 23 places higher than its 2012 ranking. It also secured the top spot for global patent filings in 2021, way ahead of all other countries, according to the World Intellectual Property Indicators report.

The number of high-tech enterprises in China had grown from 49,000 in 2012 to 330,000 in 2022, representing 5.7-fold growth. The same year also saw the R&D investment of these enterprises account for over three-quarters of the total across society.

China's pursuit of scientific and technological advancement serves both its economy and the growing demand of its people for improved lives and health.

While reinforcing its strength in science and technology, the country has also been committed to sharing its technology with worldwide partners and cooperating to improve global science and technology governance.