BEIJING, April 17 -- Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing on Monday urged state-funded and centrally administered enterprises to improve their core competitiveness and core functions to play a bigger role in building a modernized industrial system.

Zhang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a signing meeting for centrally administered enterprise business performance goals for 2023.

He called on state-funded and centrally administered enterprises to strengthen technological innovation and achieve more breakthroughs in key and core technologies.

Efforts should be made to effectively safeguard the stability of industrial and supply chains as well as national industrial safety, Zhang said.