Xi Story: Manufacturing industry always indispensable to China

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. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Shan Zenghai, chief engineer of Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG), had barely begun his speech when he was recognized by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who sat face to face with him on Sunday at a group deliberation during the ongoing session of China's national legislature.

Xi remembered Shan from a televised interview with deputies to the 14th National People's Congress earlier that day. During the interview, Shan recounted how domestically-made heavy machinery gained presence at home and abroad over the years.

At the deliberation with deputies from the delegation of Jiangsu Province, Shan delivered more good news for Xi.

"The 220-tonne all-terrain crane, the model you rode in 2017 during your inspection tour of XCMG, can now be 100 percent domestically produced as compared to 71 percent in the past," Shan told Xi.

"What about the chips in the cranes? Are they also homegrown?" Xi inquired.

The answer is affirmative.

Shan went on to say that XCMG is now able to manufacture 91 percent of all components in its products, up from 62 percent previously. Xi commended the company's achievements in making world-class engineering machinery.

"Currently, China's manufacturing industry boasts a complete range of sectors and categories," said Xi. "At the same time, we need to upgrade to medium- and high-end manufacturing. This is a hallmark of high-quality development."

The manufacturing industry is an indispensable sector to China at all times, Xi said. A large country with a population of over 1.4 billion must rely on itself to address any challenges that come its way, he said.

To make the manufacturing sector high-end, smarter and greener, Xi said the country should advance new industrialization, intensify efforts to re-engineer the industrial foundation and tackle key issues in major technologies and equipment.

Upgrading the manufacturing sector has long been high on China's development agenda as a requirement for bolstering the real economy.

As part of its bid to modernize the industrial system, China should pool quality resources and make concerted efforts to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields, with a focus on key industrial chains in the manufacturing sector, according to a government work report submitted Sunday to the national legislature for deliberation.