China urges giant state firms to be tech ‘pillars’ in self-reliance drive

China has urged big state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to play a key role in its drive to attain self-reliance in technology, raising the stakes in the race amid rifts with the United States.
With many Chinese firms and industries hit by a growing roster of export controls imposed by the United States, President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed the need for self-reliance in technology to prune use of foreign technology.
Wang Zhigang, the minister for science and technology said, China aims to turn some state giants into leading tech companies with global influence, following a meeting with the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.
Wang was quoted as saying in a statement, state firms controlled by the central government should play the role of “pillars” in “achieving China’s high-level tech self-reliance and self-improvement.”