Xi To Boost Industry As Foreign Demand For Goods Dips

Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to boost the country's manufacturing capacity and not rely on overseas markets, state media reported, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Photo Insert: Zifeng Tower in China's economically advanced Jiangsu province

Speaking at the annual gathering of the rubber-stamp parliament in Beijing on Sunday, Xi said China should be able to fend for itself.

"I've always said there are two critical areas for China: one is to safeguard our rice bowl, and the other is to build up a strong manufacturing sector," Xi said, according to the state-run People's Daily.

"As a great nation of 1.4 billion people, we must rely on ourselves," Xi added. "We can't depend on international markets to save us."

The comments, during a meeting with delegates representing China's economically advanced Jiangsu province, belie concerns in Beijing over an increasingly hostile international environment and lagging growth at home.

As China's technology ambitions have been hit with a raft of restrictions by the United States and its Western allies, Beijing has doubled down on the need to build a self-reliant industry and shift away from imports for sectors perceived as vital to national security, such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

Washington has in recent months tightened sanctions on Chinese chipmakers, citing national security concerns and the ability for the technology to be used by China's military.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic