BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping has underscored the importance of promoting high-quality cultural and ethical development to provide robust spiritual support for building a strong nation and achieving national rejuvenation.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a recent instruction, which was conveyed at a national conference on Friday that honored champions of cultural and ethical progress.

Noting coordinated material and cultural-ethical advancement is a defining feature of Chinese modernization, Xi emphasized the significance of applying the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to enhance cohesion, deepen conviction and promote core socialist values.

Xi called for continued efforts to enrich the cultural lives of the people and foster well-rounded personal development, alongside coordinated progress in cultural-ethical development across both urban and rural areas.

He also urged deeper reform and innovation, broader public participation, and the establishment of a long-term, collaborative mechanism for advancing cultural-ethical development.

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Addressing Friday's event, Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, stressed the need to leverage high-quality cultural-ethical progress to pool strength for advancing Chinese modernization.