Premier Li Keqiang met with Simon Bartley, president of WorldSkills, an international organization for skills development, in Beijing on April 7.

Bartley is visiting China to evaluate Shanghai’s qualification as the host of the WorldSkills Competition 2021.

Premier Li praised WorldSkills and its competitions for promoting vocational training worldwide, thus boosting global economic and social sustainable development.

“Human resources and talents serve as the greatest resources for China’s economy to maintain medium-to-high growth and step forward to a medium-to-high level,” he said.

China strongly advocates craftsmanship in the course of innovation-driven development, and calls for efforts to cultivate high-qualified talents and build a more reasonable personnel structure to foster new economic engines.

The Premier said the Chinese government supports Shanghai in the bid as host of the WorldSkills competition, and is willing to work with the organization to promote skill development, which is conducive to enhancing the skill levels of hundreds of millions of Chinese workers and initiating the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Bartley said the Chinese government endeavors to promote skill development and lift the skill levels of workers from China and abroad to a higher level.

Bartley also praised China’s willingness and advantages in hosting the competition, and said he hopes to work with China and give the country an active role in skill development while promoting global economic and social development.

Premier Li meets with WorldSkills President Bartley in Beijing on April 7.[Photo/China News Service]