Despite the difficulties and challenges, it is important to see the path forward and the bright future, stay committed to development, bolster confidence, and maintain an enterprising spirit, Xi said at the latest symposium.

　　HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT

　　The Chinese authorities have encouraged private enterprises to embrace high-quality development, which is viewed as both a strategic imperative and a necessity for them to thrive in the increasingly complex and competitive global landscape.

　　On many occasions, Xi has urged private enterprises to unswervingly pursue high-quality development, boost independent innovation and strengthen their core competitiveness.

　　Private enterprises have already been the backbone of the country's innovation drive, accounting for more than 90 percent of high-tech companies.

　　The private sector also contributes to more than 70 percent of the country's technological innovation achievements. Among the country's national-level “little giant“ firms -- a term that refers to novel elites of small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in manufacturing, specializing in a niche market and boasting cutting-edge technologies -- the proportion of private companies has surpassed 80 percent.

　　From competitive electric vehicles and DeepSeek, a rising star in artificial intelligence, to Unitree Robotics, a pioneer in humanoid robot development, private enterprises are at the forefront of China's economic transformation.

　　To empower the sector, the NDRC pledged to further remove market access barriers, revise the market access negative list for private enterprises in a timely manner, and encourage greater private sector participation in major national projects and programs.