When extending festive greetings to the country's working people ahead of International Workers' Day, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on them to work diligently and boldly engage in innovation to make solid progress in advancing Chinese modernization.

In terms of realizing China's modernization, the development of the manufacturing industry is indispensable. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, pays great attention to manufacturing and those who work in the sector.

Over the years, Xi has talked with frontline workers and technicians in the manufacturing sector during his inspections across the country. On April 12, Xi visited the headquarters of GAC Aion New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd. in the city of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.

During the visit, Xi learned about the enterprise's progress in achieving breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields and about what it has been doing in developing higher-end, smarter and greener manufacturing.

"We ought to develop the economy in a sustainable manner, without drastic fluctuations," said Xi. "In this regard, science and technology, education and talent are of great importance."

In June 2022, Xi visited XGIMI Optoelectronic Co., Ltd., a company focusing on the development of projectors, touring the company's exhibition hall and factory during his inspection trip to the city of Yibin, Sichuan Province.

Xi chatted with the company's employees and said he was delighted to see young people playing major roles in the company's development. He stressed that as a major manufacturer, China should strive to improve its innovation capabilities and accelerate its transformation into a country strong in manufacturing.

"Most of you were born in the 1980s and 1990s, and the country is counting on you to advance our cause and realize prosperity," Xi said.

In August 2022, while inspecting Siasun Robot and Automation Co., Ltd. in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, Xi set aside time to talk with technicians who were testing equipment in a factory workshop, asking about their college majors and professional abilities. Learning that the company's workforce included more than 4,000 such R&D professionals, Xi was delighted.

"Why does the CPC Central Committee implement the innovation-driven development strategy? It is because it's the only way for our country to improve the industrial level and capacity, and transform our country's economy and manufacturing from being big to being strong," said Xi.