The Chang'e-5 lunar sample handover ceremony was held in Beijing on Dec 19. Vice-Premier Liu He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attended the ceremony and delivered a speech.

Liu said the congratulatory message President Xi Jinping sent to the event shows that the CPC Central Committee attaches great importance to scientific and technological innovation, as well as the aerospace business. The message also shows a way for accelerating efforts to build China into a strong power in science and technology.

He said the Chang'e-5 mission had created “China’s first" and world records in many aspects, and fully completed the three-step strategic plan of the lunar exploration project. It is an important milestone in the journey of building China into a major power in space.

He urged cooperative efforts for scientific research on lunar samples, contributing Chinese wisdom to deepen human understanding of the formation and evolution of the universe.

Scientific and technological work is about development and survival, so it is necessary to maintain a high sense of urgency, accelerate independent innovation, improve the effectiveness of development, pay close attention to the training of scientific and technological talents, and deepen international exchanges and cooperation, Liu emphasized.

“We must highly value the innovation and improvement of incentive mechanisms, as well as popularize science education, and focus on cultivating the curiosity of young people and children,” Liu added.

Lastly, he encouraged people at the ceremony to strive ahead and make more achievements during the process of building the country into a major force in science and technology, contributing much more to building a modern socialist country in all aspects.