PR89075

BEIJING, April 20, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Top Chinese universities will play a bigger role in the country's development

in the next five years and beyond, as the world's second largest economy vows

to become an innovation powerhouse.

Tsinghua University, one of the most prestigious universities in China, is

undoubtedly an important player on the journey.

During an inspection tour to the university on Monday, Chinese President Xi

Jinping called for building world-class universities with Chinese

characteristics to serve national rejuvenation.

The visit comes days ahead of the university's 110th anniversary. Xi, also

general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee,

congratulated the faculty, students and alumni of the university on behalf of

the CPC Central Committee.

China needs scientific knowledge 'more than ever'

Xi visited the Academy of Arts and Design, a laboratory on imaging and

intelligence, an exhibition on the university's key education and scientific

research achievements, and a gymnasium.

He also learned about Tsinghua's reform, human resources development,

innovation in education and scientific research, as well as the university's

role in serving national development, before meeting representatives of the

faculty and students at a symposium and delivering a key speech.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC, Xi noted,

adding that 2021 is also the start of China's new journey toward socialist

modernization. "The development of China and its ruling party needs higher

education, scientific knowledge and excellent talent more than ever," he

stressed.

He encouraged Chinese youth to shoulder their historic responsibilities and

strive for national rejuvenation.

According to the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National

Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year

2035, China will pursue innovation-driven development and strive to make major

breakthroughs in key and core technologies.

"Innovation is at the heart of China's modernization drive," the blueprint

said, calling for enhancing self-reliance in science and technology.

It also vowed to support the development of high-quality research universities

and cultivate more first-rate talent in science and technology.

Xi urged Tsinghua University to upgrade the system of disciplines and

specialties, and cultivate talent in frontier and key areas of science and

technology. He called for efforts to break through the bottleneck of key and

core technologies.

Xi and Tsinghua University

Tsinghua University was established in 1911 in Beijing in the final months of

the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).  

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the university

was molded into a polytechnic institute focusing on engineering. Since the

launch of China's reform and opening-up policy in 1978, it has gradually

developed into a comprehensive research university with 21 schools and 59

departments.

Xi studied basic organic synthesis at the university's Department of Chemical

Engineering from 1975-1979 in his 20s.

When Xi was a senior official in southeast China's Fujian Province, he attended

an in-service graduate program in Marxist theory and ideological and political

education at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences of the university

from 1998-2002 and was awarded a Doctor of Law degree.

The tour on Monday was Xi's second visit to Tsinghua University in just over a

year. On March 2, 2020, Xi visited the School of Medicine at the university and

learned about the progress of scientific research on COVID-19.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-04-19/Chinese-President-Xi-Jinping-inspects-Tsinghua-University-ZAlAUAd2zC/index.html

SOURCE: CGTN