China's youth shoulder heavy tasks and responsibilities: white paper

China's youth are striving to support high-quality economic growth, participate in the development of socialist democratic politics, create a flourishing socialist culture, promote socialist moral and ethical progress, and build a beautiful China, a white paper on China's youth said on Thursday.

The white paper, titled "Youth of China in the New Era," was released by the State Council Information Office.

In the new era China's youth have shown no fear of difficulties and hardships in times of crisis, displaying their grit at critical moments.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, young people have been risking their lives to combat this deadly disease, said the document. More than 5.5 million of them in 320,000 task groups have worked on the front lines of this combat, providing medical care, transporting supplies, and building facilities. They have made a tremendous contribution to the all-out people's war on the virus.

By 2021, 470,000 college graduates had worked in rural areas on posts related to teaching, agriculture, medical service and poverty alleviation, and during their vacations, millions of college students had conducted surveys or taken part in cultural activities and other activities to spread understanding of science and technology and information on health in the countryside. Through these efforts, young people have offered their support to China's poverty alleviation and rural revitalization.

Every year more than 3 million science and technology and engineering students graduate from Chinese universities, which continuously replenish the country's ranks of engineers. Among the founders of market entities registered since 2014, more than 5 million are college students and new graduates.

The average age of the core members of the research groups on the Beidou Navigation Satellite System is 36; the corresponding figures are 35 for the quantum science satellite Mozi and 30 for the five-hundred-meter aperture spherical telescope (FAST) Tianyan.

In both urban and rural areas, in the workplace or on campus, young people champion pursuit of excellence and the greater good, and set healthy trends, according to the document.

As of the end of 2021, more than 90 million people aged between 14 and 35 had registered at the volunteering platform Chinavolunteer.mac.gov.cn.