BEIJING: Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Tuesday emphasized the pivotal role played by scientific and technological workers in building sci-tech power and encouraged them to contribute their achievements to Chinese modernization. Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when addressing an award ceremony held in Beijing by the Hong Kong-based Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Ding highlighted that the key to Chinese modernization lies in the advancement of science and technology. He asserted that building a great modern socialist country hinges on the independent and self-reliant development of these fields. He called on scientific and technological workers to actively explore the frontiers of their crafts, achieve breakthroughs in basic research, and accomplish leading, original achievements.
Ding urged the scientific community to tackle key core technologies and to apply the r
esults of innovation to the significant endeavors of Chinese modernization. He also pointed out the importance of cultivating high-level sci-tech talent to ensure that the country’s scientific endeavors will continue through the generations.
The Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation, established in 1994 by patriotic Hong Kong financiers Ho Sin Hang, Leung Kau-Kui, Ho Tim, and Lee Quo-Wei, aims to honor outstanding Chinese scientists. This year’s awards were conferred to Li Jiayang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences known for his research in plant molecular genetics, along with 55 other sci-tech workers.