Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to boost the country’s manufacturing capacity so as not to depend on foreign markets, in an intervention during the session of the Chinese Parliament that must certify a third term for the ruler, state media reported Monday.
Stepping up China’s industrial production is necessary “in order to rely on ourselves and not rely on foreign markets to save us,” Xi said during a People’s Congress meeting with delegates from China’s Jiangsu province.
The assembly opened this Sunday in Beijing with a speech by outgoing Prime Minister Li Keqiang, who announced plans for China to grow this year “around 5%” and an increase in military spending, amid rising tensions with the United States.
This is the session of the People’s Assembly that is going to proclaim a third term for Xi, something unprecedented in China, ratifying the decision last October of the ruling Congress of the Communist Party.
“I have always said that there are two critical areas for China: one is to safeguard our rice bowl and the other is to build a strong manufacturing sector.”exposed the president, according to the state newspaper People’s Daily.
“As a great nation of 1.4 billion people, we must rely on ourselves. We cannot depend on international markets to save us,” Xi insisted, the AFP news agency reported.
The second world power insists on the need to build a self-sufficient industry and abandon imports in sectors considered vital to national security, such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.
The United States has in recent months tightened sanctions on Chinese chipmakers, citing national security concerns and the possibility that the technology could be used by the Chinese military.