Premier Li Keqiang first proposed mass entrepreneurship and innovation at the 2014 Summer Davos in Tianjin, and he stressed implementing an innovation-driven strategy and pushing innovation to inspire market vigor and social creativity.

Now mass entrepreneurship and innovation has become a main part of implementing the strategy, and covered all the first, second and tertiary industries.

The latest Global Innovation Index, released on June 15, put China in 22nd place in the global ranking, the only country in the top 25 not to be a high-income economy. And venture capital investment China gained in 2016 accounted for a quarter of the world’s total number.

The Premier had much to say about mass entrepreneurship and innovation in recent years:

Mass entrepreneurship and innovation is an important part of innovation-driven strategy and supply-side structural reform and a strong support for fostering new growth momentum.

-- At Global Entrepreneurial Leaders Forum in Shenzhen on Oct 12, 2016

Innovation-driven development should be attached more importance and rely more on human resources to strengthen new economic drivers and promote economic growth at medium-to-high speed with the goal of reaching medium-to-high end levels.

-- Meeting with postdoctoral innovation research talent in Beijing on Nov 30, 2015

Mass entrepreneurship and innovation not only has brought a great number of job opportunities and promoted the innovation-driven strategy, but also is a reform move. It focuses on people, an important element of productivity, making them make full use of their brilliance and vitality and providing equal opportunities to make lives better.

-- Meeting with the press after annual meeting of National People’s Congress on March 15, 2017

The core of mass entrepreneurship and innovation is to motivate the creativity of the people, especially young people. Society will come alive when young people are willing to start their own ventures. Our country will become vigorous when young people are full of innovative ideas.

-- In a letter to student makers at Tsinghua University before National Youth Day in 2015

Mass entrepreneurship and innovation is a key growth driver for China, a strong power driving employment, representing an innovative step in the income distribution model and an effective way to promote social justice.

-- Speaking at Summer Davos Forum in Dalian, Liaoning province, on Sept 10, 2015

Platforms should be forged for mass entrepreneurship and innovation promotion. Internet Plus should be utilized to develop new models as crowdsourcing and crowdfunding, facilitate linkups of production and demand, and integration of traditional industries with emerging ones, and effectively converge resources, in efforts to push forward the Made in China 2025 strategy and form a new development pattern featuring innovation-driven growth.

-- At a State Council executive meeting on Sept 16, 2015

Mass entrepreneurship and innovation is not only a road to survive for small and micro-sized companies but also a growth strategy for large companies. Workers, technicians, and social maker groups should use Internet Plus to promote Chinese brands and equipment to go global, demonstrate competitive capacity and create China’s own golden brands.

-- During an inspection at Luoyang Mining Machinery Group in Henan province on Sept 23, 2015

Big enterprise employees and grassroots entrepreneurs can both create and gain more wealth through entrepreneurship and innovation, which is an important part of adjusting the income distribution structure and an engine that drives social equality and justice. Mass entrepreneurship and innovation has created fair opportunities for everyone to compete and provide channels for competent and industrious people to improve themselves and their lives.

-- At National Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week event in Beijing on Oct 19, 2015

The special demonstration bases of mass entrepreneurship and innovation should focus on the main concerns and we should not just put up flags, but make real moves. And there must be details on how to develop the demonstration bases.

-- At a State Council executive meeting on April 20, 2016

Entrepreneurs, together, can show the wisdom and strength of our nation. There is no limit on creativity and entrepreneurship. And I hope that you can turn your ideas into reality.

-- At a national exhibition of mass entrepreneurship and innovation in Shenzhen on Oct 12, 2016

The in-house program for entrepreneurship has not only motivated employees’ enthusiasm, but also improved the competitiveness of large enterprises, which is a new model for integrated development of large, medium and small enterprises.

-- During an inspection tour at China Telecom on July 31, 2017