BEIJING — Innovation will remain at the heart of China's modernization drive, Xi Jinping said on Oct 16 in a report at the opening session of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The country will accelerate the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, with faster pace to achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, Xi said.

"To meet China's strategic needs, we will concentrate resources on original and pioneering scientific and technological research to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields," he said.

In order to enhance the innovation capacity, China will move faster to launch a number of major national projects that are of strategic, big-picture, and long-term importance, Xi said.

Efforts will be made to improve the new system for mobilizing resources nationwide to make key technological breakthroughs, and boost China's strength in strategic science and technology, Xi said.