Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called for pooling the strength of China's working class in striving to realize great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in a down-to-earth manner.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the statement in addressing a gathering in Beijing to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and to honor model workers and exemplary individuals.
Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the gathering. Premier Li Qiang presided over the event and Cai Qi read out the decision to commend model workers and exemplary individuals.
At the event, 1,670 people were honored as national model workers, while 756 were recognized as exemplary individuals.
Xi, addressing the event attended by more than 3,000 people, highly commented on the important contributions trade unions at all levels have made to advancing national construction in the past century.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee has made a series of important arrangements and guided the Chinese workers' movement to make historic achievements and comprehensive advancements, he said.
He highly commended the important roles played by the working class and urged unwavering implementation of the fundamental policy of relying wholeheartedly on the working class.
He also summarized the experience of the century-old workers' movement and the work of the trade unions and urged efforts to learn from the valuable experience gained in the labor movement and trade union work.
To further mobilize the working class in the new era, Xi said, it is essential to improve the innovation capability and overall caliber of the working people and improve their wellbeing.
He also called for learning from these role models and carrying forward their exemplary merits.
Xi raised requirements for trade unions at all levels in their work, as they stand on a new starting point.
"Today, the CPC is leading more than 1.4 billion people in forging ahead on a new journey of Chinese modernization in high spirits. As the times change, so do our missions and tasks, but the spirit of pressing ahead with hard work, in unity and through unremitting struggle, will never change. Let us rally more closely around the CPC Central Committee, get down to earth with strenuous efforts and unyielding dedication, embrace the new era with creativity and strive for new successes, so that one step at a time, we turn the grand blueprint of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation into reality," Xi said.
Li Qiang, when presiding over the event, called on the working class to make new contributions to advancing Chinese modernization and achieving rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Xi stresses pooling strength of working class for rejuvenation of Chinese nation
