WUHAN - Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for maintaining the new development philosophy and winning the "three tough battles."

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour in Central China's Hubei province from Tuesday to Saturday.

He stressed the importance of "fully implementing the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress and following Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era."

Xi urged efforts to "maintain the new development philosophy, pursue progress while ensuring stability, focus on winning the three tough battles, and solve the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development."

Forestalling and defusing major risks, carrying out targeted poverty alleviation, and preventing and controlling pollution have been identified as the three tough battles that China must win.

On Thursday morning, Xi inspected two leading chipmakers in a high-tech development zone in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province.

The area, dubbed "China's Optics Valley," is the world's largest R&D and manufacturing base for optical communication equipment.

Xi first visited FiberHome Technologies Group, which leads the world in R&D and production of optical communication equipment of "ultra-large capacity, ultra-long haul and ultra-high rate," with technology that can enable 6.75 billion telephone calls at the same time using a single optical fiber.

Xi praised the company's achievements and told its executives that innovation is the priority in China's new development concept.

Having become the world's second largest economy, China must rely on innovation to spur economic growth as the old resources-dependent way is no longer effective, Xi said.

Independent core technology determines the survival of businesses, he said.

"Businesses must unceasingly make breakthroughs in core technology, mastering more key technologies with self-owned intellectual property rights and building up the ability to dominate industrial development. The country needs you to pick up the pace," Xi said.

Xi then visited Wuhan Xinxin Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp to inspect a national memory production base and assembly lines of integrated circuits.

In workshops, he listened to reports about smart manufacturing of chips and accelerating chip localization progress.

Referring to chips as like the human heart, Xi said, "No matter how big a person is, he or she can never be strong without a sound and strong heart," he said, urging businesses to make major breakthroughs in chip technology and challenge the new heights in global semiconductor industry.

China's two centenary goals cannot be delivered easily, Xi said, noting both the opportunities and challenges in front of the country are unprecedented. He called on every Chinese to make a bigger contribution to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

At noon, Xi inspected Qingheju, a modern community developed from a former shanty town. He said that redevelopment of former shanty areas is about allowing people to live and work in contentment, adding that there are still some daunting tasks.

"We will strive to take actions as long as they are good for the people, and will make every endeavor to get things straight," said Xi.

While visiting a community center, Xi urged more efforts to reform and innovate governance at the community level to offer more targeted and detailed services to the public.

On Saturday afternoon, Xi listened to work reports of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee and Hubei Provincial Government.

Pushing high quality development is the fundamental requirement for good economic work, Xi said.

Supply-side structural reform should be pushed forward, with efforts to be made both on upgrading the traditional industries and developing emerging sectors, Xi said.

The overall quality of the supply system should be improved so that the system will be more adaptive to demand, Xi said. "Chinese quality should be just as world-renowned as Chinese speed," he said.

Emphasis should be given to innovation-driven development, and efforts should be made to improve the innovation system and boost innovation capacity.

Technological innovation should be deeply integrated with economic and social development, Xi said.

Environmental protection should also be enhanced, and actions should be based on the understanding that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," Xi said.

A holistic approach should be used to conserve the mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, and grasslands, while controlling the pollution of the air, water, and soil should be strengthened, Xi said.

During the inspection, Xi also stressed that the rural revitalization strategy is central for China to address issues relating to agriculture, rural areas and residents.

To develop rural areas with thriving businesses, pleasant living environments, social etiquette and civility, effective governance, and prosperity, more focus should be put on fostering modern industrial, production and business operation systems, Xi said.

He also called for full respect for the wills of the rural people to bring out their vitality and guide them on the road to revitalization.

Xi stressed that people's wellbeing is the top political issue, calling for attaching great importance to helping the impoverished and continuing targeted poverty reduction and alleviation measures.