BEIJING, Feb. 16 -- China is moving to promote the high-quality development of its manufacturing sector, amid efforts to advance new industrialization and industrial upgrading, an official said on Thursday.

Measures will be taken to implement the advanced standards of the country's quality management system in the manufacturing sector, Bi Kaichun, an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, told a press conference.

Efforts will be made to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) improve their business performance through quality improvement and brand building, and foster more SMEs that are specialized and innovative, Bi said.

The country will also strengthen the innovation and application of reliability technologies, as well as the technological foundation of the industry, to provide more services for enterprises, Bi added.

Earlier this month, the country issued an outline to improve the overall quality of the economy and increase the influence of Chinese brands, in a bid to promote high-quality development.