Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, takes part in a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the delegation of Jiangsu province, at the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2023.

For China to forge new drivers and strengths in its growth, the key is to rely on innovation in science and technology, he said, adding that sci-tech self-reliance is also the key for China to build itself into a modern socialist country in all respects.

It is important to promote in-depth collaboration between industries, academic institutions and research institutes, strengthen the development of major innovation platforms for science and technology and support leading scientists in achieving breakthroughs, he said.

Businesses must be encouraged to take up the principal role and move forward the integration of innovation chains, industrial chains, funding and talent, Xi said.

The nation must integrate the strategy to boost domestic demand with its deepening of supply-side structural reform and accelerate the building of a modern industrial system, he said.

The president reiterated the need to focus on the real economy in pursuing growth, saying that China must move forward new industrialization and step up the reengineering of its industrial foundation and research projects on major technologies and equipment.

He encouraged the province, which accounted for 10 percent of China's GDP and 12.9 percent of its foreign trade volume last year, to build up its manufacturing sector, promote the growth of strategic emerging sectors and accelerate the growth of the digital economy.

A strong agricultural sector is the foundation for a modern socialist country, and agricultural modernization is required to attain high-quality growth, Xi said.

He called for steps to protect arable land, stabilize grain acreage and bolster the establishment of high-quality farmland in an effort to ensure the stability and security of the supply of grain and key agricultural produce.