Chinese President Xi Jinping visited an information technology innovation park in Beijing this February, in his first local inspection tour of 2026, the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the visit was an eye-opening experience that further firmed up his confidence in the country's sci-tech innovation.
The remark reflects the high importance that Xi places on sci-tech innovation as the leader of a major country.
Self-reliance and strength in science and technology have always been a matter of national priority for Xi.
From research institutions to enterprise workshops, and from laboratory settings to production lines, Xi went to the forefront of sci-tech innovation, offering earnest guidance and charting the course forward.
In May 2020, during a research tour of Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel Precision Strip Co., Ltd. in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, Xi picked up and examined a strip of hand-tearable steel. Gently twisting and folding the foil in his fingers, he couldn't help but offer praise, saying, "The workmanship is indeed excellent. With all the thinness of tinfoil, this tempered steel is pliable enough to wrap around your finger."
In June 2022, when inspecting HGLaser Engineering Co., Ltd. in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Xi stressed keeping the lifeline of science and technology firmly in China's own hands and making the country's development more independent, self-reliant and secure.
In May 2025, while visiting Luoyang Bearing Group Co., Ltd. in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Xi said that modern manufacturing relies on sci-tech empowerment, calling for greater efforts in the quest for core technological breakthroughs and pursuit of a path of independent innovation.
In April this year, at a symposium on strengthening basic research in Shanghai, Xi urged greater efforts and more concrete measures to strengthen basic research, enhance China's capacity for original innovation, and further solidify the foundation for building the country's strength in science and technology.
Entering the new era, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, every strategic plan has secured an edge for future development, answered the call of the times, and steered the country into a boom in sci-tech innovation.
China is now accelerating its transition from a global participant and contributor in science and technology to a pioneer and leader, and has become one of the countries with the fastest growing innovation capacity.
The 15th Five-Year Plan period is a critical phase for tackling tough challenges in building up the country's strength in science and technology.
Systematic plans for achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology and steering the development of new quality productive forces are laid out in the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan, and "substantial improvements in scientific and technological self-reliance and strength" is listed among the seven major objectives for economic and social development over the next five years.
"We must seize the historic opportunity, rise to the challenges of the times, accelerate efforts to achieve high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and make steady progress toward the 2035 goal of becoming a leading country in science and technology," Xi said.
He made the remarks on July 8 at a meeting in Beijing that brought together the national science and technology award conference, the general assemblies of the members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), and the 11th national congress of the China Association for Science and Technology.