Xi: Step up building of skilled, innovative workforce

President Xi Jinping called on Monday for ramping up efforts to build a knowledgeable, skilled and innovative workforce to serve the country's high-quality development, while highlighting the importance of the Communist Party of China's overall leadership over trade unions.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during a talk with the new leadership of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the leading body of trade union federations at the local level and industrial unions at the national level.

Xi said that the labor movement in China has developed under the leadership of the Party, and the trade unions are mass organizations formed by the working class under the leadership of the Party.

He emphasized that it is necessary to adhere to the Party's comprehensive leadership over the trade unions at all times and under all circumstances.

Adhering to the fundamental principle of wholeheartedly relying on the working class, efforts should be made to fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of the broad masses of working people, to enable them to actively engage in the great cause of building a strong country and realizing national rejuvenation, Xi added.

He underlined the need to implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee in the trade union system, and closely unite the vast number of workers around the Party to strive for the realization of the Party's central tasks.

Xi called for carrying out various forms of labor and skill competitions, in order to stimulate the enthusiasm and creativity of workers. The spirit of model workers and craftsmanship should be vigorously promoted to serve as inspiration for workers to realize their dreams through hard, honest and innovative work.

He also stressed that efforts should be made to deepen reform of the structure of the industrial workforce, accelerate the building of a knowledgeable, skilled and innovative team of industrial workers, and cultivate more craftsmen and high-skilled professional workers.

As the working class and the broad masses of working people are the main creators of social wealth, Xi said that significant progress in promoting common prosperity should first be demonstrated among the nation's hundreds of millions of workers.

Trade unions, representing and defending workers' interests, must earnestly fulfill their basic responsibilities in safeguarding their rights and interests and addressing practical issues that matter to the immediate interests of workers, he said.

The new leadership of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions was elected at the federation's 18th National Congress, which closed on Oct 12 in Beijing. Wang Dongming was elected as chairman of the organization.