President Xi Jinping underlined on Wednesday the need for Jiangsu province, one of China's economic powerhouses, to lead the integration of sci-tech and industrial innovation, the deepening of reform and high-level opening-up, and the nation's common prosperity drive.

The president, who represents Jiangsu as a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, told his fellow deputies from the province that the nation's economic powerhouses must take the lead as China strives to achieve its targets set out in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25).

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in Beijing when he took part in a deliberation with his fellow lawmakers during the third session of the 14th NPC.

He spoke after six deputies shared their insights on issues such as accelerating green and low-carbon transformation and advancing industrial and technological innovation.

He explained that sci-tech and industrial innovation is the fundamental pathway for the development of new quality productive forces — featuring high technology, high efficiency and high quality, and aligning with the country's new development philosophy.

The president highlighted the need to advance education, science and talent development in tandem — both to generate more technological breakthroughs and to transform them into tangible productive forces.

In driving industrial innovation, the nation must anchor its efforts in the real economy, balancing the upgrade of traditional industries with the cultivation of strategic emerging sectors and future industries, he said, adding that the role of enterprises as key drivers of innovation must be bolstered to ensure a seamless connection between innovation and industry.

Jiangsu's GDP grew 5.8 percent year-on-year to 13.7 trillion yuan ($1.89 trillion) in 2024, registering the greatest increase in GDP volume in the nation last year, according to the provincial government.

The province must take the lead in deepening reform and opening-up and keep removing obstacles and boosting momentum, Xi said.

He urged the province to promote urban-rural integration and regional coordination, optimize the layout of productive forces, and focus on driving high-quality development.

A level playing field must be offered to businesses of various ownership types, and continuous efforts must be made to improve the business environment, Xi said, adding that the province must expand institutional opening-up and keep expanding the room for international cooperation.

The president encouraged Jiangsu to play a proactive role in the nation's major strategies, including the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, adding that it is important for the province to step up its alignment with strategies such as the coordinated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

He also highlighted the need for the region to better integrate itself into the high-quality building of the Belt and Road, guarantee that its farmland will not fall below the red line, ensure food security and protect its ecology and environment.

Xi then made the case for the nation's major economic powerhouses to lead the way in the common prosperity drive. Jiangsu, with a population of 85.26 million in 2023, should make solid steps in advancing comprehensive rural vitalization, urban-rural integration and consolidating the achievements of poverty alleviation, he said.