Step up pace of technological breakthroughs, Chinese President Xi Jinping urges
- Xi used a tour of the eastern province of Zhejiang to urge local officials to support scientific innovation
- The Chinese leader has been touring the province, which is currently hosting the Asian Games
Xi was speaking during a tour of the eastern province of Zhejiang, one of the country’s main economic powerhouses, where he called for the faster application of research, intelligent green development in manufacturing and for clusters of internationally competitive clusters of emerging digital businesses.
On Thursday he told local officials: “We should put the enhancement of scientific and technological innovation capacity in a more prominent position, integrate scientific and technological innovation forces and advantageous resources, and accelerate breakthroughs in the frontier fields of science and technology.”
According to state news agency Xinhua, he also said: “The development of the industrial supply chain must be planned with a global perspective, and the resilience and security level of the industrial supply chain must be continuously improved.
“[We must] strengthen the main roles of enterprises in technological innovation, push ahead and deepen the integration of the different chains of innovation, industry, capital and human resources, [so that] the fruit of our research and development can be realised.”
Outside the Games, Xi toured several locations in the province, where he served as governor and party secretary between 2002 and 2007, and addressed some urgent issues the country is facing, such as the intensifying tech-war with the West.