President Xi Jinping stressed China should foster a culture of respecting talent at a September 27-28 central conference on developing a high-quality workforce in Beijing.

“It’s important to independently train talent,” Xi said at the conference. “China is a major country with a great demand for high quality and skilled personnel. To satisfy the large demand, we must nurture talent mainly through our own efforts, improving the ability to have an independent and controllable talent supply.”

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, speaks at a central conference on talent-related work in Beijing, capital of China. The conference was held on Sept 27 and Sept 28. (Photo: Xinhua)

Stressing self-reliance, Xi said that in implementing “dual circulation” development, Chinese must now mainly rely on themselves. “Dual circulation” policy takes the domestic market as the mainstay while letting internal and external markets boost each other.

China today is at a new starting point and has much to offer talented people, Xi asserted.

He noted that China, with the world's biggest higher-education system and a broad stage for the development of various undertakings, is capable of training a large number of high-caliber talented people, giving rise to leading experts. Xi said: “We must have determination and confidence about this!”

“Here I would like to especially emphasize that people of talent should inherit and carry forward the excellent qualities of the older generation of scientists, bear the motherland in mind, serve the people, focus on the country's top priorities, share worries, solve the problems and fulfill their duties for the country,” Xi said.

Xi called for respecting, admiring and honoring high-caliber engineers, builders of advanced equipment for the country, devoted scientists and founders of undertakings.

“We should foster a culture of respecting talent in society,” he said. “More admiration, love and care should be given to them than to internet celebrities. This is where our country’s hope lies.”

(Translated by Xiang Jingya; Edited by Huang Jingjing and Dong Feng)