People look at a bionic robot at an exhibition during the 2017 national mass innovation and entrepreneurship week in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2017. More than 300 items and projects on artificial intelligence, biotechnology, new material, energy conservation, environmental protection, intelligent robot and Internet plus were displayed at the exhibition.(Photo: Xinhua)

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for building up the country into one of the world's major science centers and a highland of innovation - underscoring the significance of developing core technologies to sustain a relatively speedy development of the economy.

"If China wants to prosper and rejuvenate, it must vigorously develop science and technology and strive to become one of the world's major science centers and an innovation highland… Now, it is imperative to build China into a global scientific and technological power more than at any time in history," Xi wrote in an article. 

The article by Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published in this year's sixth issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee.

The article says that ingenuous innovation is the only way for China to climb the world's technology ladder. And, core technologies cannot be purchased, or obtained by asking a favor from others or by begging. "Only by mastering key core technologies in our own hands, can we guarantee our national economic security, national defense security and other security in a fundamental way."

The article also emphasized the need to deepen reform of the scientific and technological system in an all-round way, and improve the efficiency of the innovation system, so as to stimulate innovation vitality.

It is also necessary to overhaul the talent evaluation mechanism through better training, usage, incentive and competition systems that will help talent development, according to the article.

Chinese leaders have lately underscored the need to improve home-grown innovation system to make breakthroughs in core technologies and sustain the nation's economic development, and rise to the forefront of leading innovative countries by 2035.

China will increase its annual research and development spending by more than 7 percent each year over the next five years, and increase expenditure on basic scientific research by more than 10 percent in 2021, according to the Government Work Report which Premier Li Keqiang delivered to the National People's Congress in early March.