Premier Li Qiang has called for advancing scientific and technological innovation in frontier and emerging areas to contribute to the development of China's emerging and future industries.

Li made the remarks on Tuesday during his inspection tour of companies owned by China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile — the country's three leading telecom operators.

He highlighted the role of technological innovation in promoting industrial innovation and called for efforts to better cultivate new quality productive forces to contribute to the country's high-quality development.

Li's remarks came as the nation strives to promote independent sci-tech innovation amid intensified technological competition between major countries, particularly in light of the United States' curbs on China's access to advanced technologies.

During his inspection tour, Li learned about China Telecom's efforts in cloud-platform construction and quantum communication development, China Unicom's progress in industrial internet and cybersecurity, and China Mobile's achievements in 6G technology research, development and application.

The premier said efforts should be made to steadily advance independent innovation, accelerate research and development in key areas and strive to achieve original technological breakthroughs, in order to inject new impetus into industrial transformation and upgrading.

He called for promoting the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy, as well as enhancing the construction of new-type infrastructure.

Efforts should be made to step up technological research and standards development regarding 6G technology, while accelerating the large-scale application of 5G technology, Li said, calling for providing better services for private companies and small and medium-sized enterprises.

While chairing a symposium attended by senior executives of the three telecom operators, the premier urged them to enhance their sense of responsibility and urgency, stick to innovation-driven development, and strive to provide powerful support for the country's development of emerging and future industries.

He called for actively seizing opportunities to vigorously develop next-generation information and communication technologies, advance the "Artificial Intelligence Plus" initiative, promote the digital transformation of the manufacturing sector, and empower various industries with advanced technologies.

Li emphasized the need to continue to strengthen weak links, focus on key areas, increase investment and speed up advancing key tasks to achieve substantial progress as soon as possible.

Deepening reforms

The premier called for stimulating vitality through deepening reforms, underlining the need to explore ways to increase the income of scientific and technological personnel, apply technological achievements and reform organizational methods of scientific research, in order to stimulate the initiative and creativity of the personnel involved.

He also urged the companies to leverage their roles in driving collaboration and acting as organizers of collaborative innovation and industry cooperation.

Li called on them to open up application scenarios, strengthen joint research and development and provide solid infrastructure support to drive the growth of both upstream and downstream enterprises, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, in order to improve innovation efficiency, reduce innovation costs and enhance innovation capabilities.

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