BEIJING, Aug. 22 -- Leaders of five centrally-administered state-owned companies and leading private firms on Thursday gathered in Beijing to share the development of China in relevant sectors.

At a forum held Thursday, Chen Derong, president of China Baowu Steel Group Corporation Limited, a state-owned company, reviewed the achievements of China's steel industry over the past seven decades, especially since the reform and opening-up, saying that the country's output of crude steel reached 928 million tonnes in 2018.

China's economy has turned to high-quality development, said Li Dongsheng, founder and president of the privately-owned home appliance maker TCL Corp., who added that the innovation-driven development and industrial transformation and upgrading have generated stronger vitality in the private sector.

Lei Jun, founder and president of China's tech giant Xiaomi, called on private entrepreneurs to undertake more missions of historic importance and commit to building first-class enterprises with global competitiveness.

The forum, jointly hosted by several units including the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is the second of six forums planned to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

At the forum, the participants also interacted with viewers online. Four other forums will be held on Aug. 29, Sept. 4, 11 and 19, respectively.