Xi stresses sustained efforts to strengthen advanced manufacturing

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged sustained efforts to expand and strengthen advanced manufacturing to provide strong support for advancing Chinese modernization.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a recent instruction, which was conveyed at a national conference on advanced manufacturing held in Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday.

Efforts should be made to ensure both high-quality development and greater security, pursue smart, green and integrated development, and make the country's industrial chains more self-supporting and risk-resilient, Xi stressed.

He emphasized the need to accelerate the development of a modernized industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone, and reinforce the foundations of the real economy.

Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a speech at the conference.

Xi's important instructions provide essential guidance for developing advanced manufacturing, Li said, noting that China must treat developing advanced manufacturing as a major strategic task and press steadily to boost its strength in manufacturing.

Li stressed that next-generation intelligent manufacturing should serve as the primary direction, with greater emphasis on digital and intelligent empowerment, high-end manufacturing and self-reliance, green and low-carbon development, and cross-sector integration.

Efforts should be made to continuously strengthen the innovation capacity, competitiveness and overall strength of advanced manufacturing, Li said.

Li called for deepening the "AI plus manufacturing" initiative, stepping up guidance and support for enterprises' digital and intelligent transformation, and consolidating the foundation of intelligent software and hardware.

China should also advance the deep integration of advanced manufacturing and modern services, foster service-oriented manufacturing, and cultivate advanced manufacturing clusters according to local conditions.

In his concluding speech, Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said China should further implement the initiative for high-quality development of key industrial chains, accelerate the building of a high-quality standards system, continue to address disorderly and irrational competition, and create a sound ecosystem for advanced manufacturing.