Building China into a leading country in education will bolster its efforts to achieve Chinese modernization, Chinese President Xi Jinping said.

At a national meeting on education held in Beijing from Monday to Tuesday, which marks the 40th Teachers' Day in China, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called for making solid progress toward the strategic goal of building China into a leading country in education.

It serves as the leading task, solid foundation and strategic support for building China into a great country and realizing national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization, he said.

China has set the objective of building itself into a leading country in education by 2035, as outlined by the report to the 20th CPC National Congress.

China has established the largest education system in the world and joined the ranks of upper-middle-tier countries in terms of the overall level of modernization in education, according to the Chinese Ministry of Education.

In 2023, China had 498,300 educational institutions, accounting for a combined total of 291 million students and 18.92 million full-time teachers, according to the ministry.

China's preschool and compulsory education coverage now matches the average of high-income countries, and higher education has attained a globally recognized level of widespread accessibility, marking a historic milestone, said Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng in August.

Education, science and technology, and talent

At the meeting, Xi also stressed the importance of coordinating strategies for invigorating the country through science and education, building a strong nation through talent development and driving innovation-driven development.

It is crucial to advance education development, scientific and technological innovation and talent cultivation in an integrated manner, Xi said.

According to the report to the 20th CPC National Congress, education, science and technology, and talent are the foundational and strategic pillars for building a modern socialist country in all respects.

"We must regard science and technology as our primary productive force, talent as our primary resource, and innovation as our primary driver of growth," read the report.

China's capabilities in talent cultivation and technological innovation have significantly strengthened, said Huai.

In terms of talent cultivation, China supplies 11 million university graduates to key sectors of the economy and society annually, with over 50 percent specializing in science, engineering, agriculture and medicine, he said.

Regarding technological innovation, China's "Double First Class" universities strategy – coordinating and advancing the development of world-class universities and first-class subjects – has achieved remarkable results.

Twenty-two Chinese universities and 39 Chinese disciplines rank among the top 0.01 percent globally in the ESI, or Essential Science Indicators, and for the first time, Chinese institutions in 2023 surpassed U.S. universities and claimed the top spot in the Nature Index, which ranks global research institutions and universities based on their scientific output and impact in the natural sciences, said the minister.