CHANGSHA -- Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang has called for leveraging scientific and technological innovation to drive industrial innovation and building Central China's Hunan province into a national hub of advanced manufacturing.

Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour in the province on Tuesday.

He visited an advanced technology research institute and an audio-visual laboratory in the province, urging new-type research institutes to adopt market-oriented operations and further unleash innovation vitality. Additionally, he highlighted the role of digital empowerment and intelligent transformation in cultural development to foster new cultural business forms that feature modern technologies.

The vice-premier also inspected the development and large-scale application of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. He stressed an unswerving commitment to independent innovation, synergistic development between the BeiDou system and satellite internet, and deeper integration with artificial intelligence and the low-altitude economy to expand application scenarios across key industries and into consumer markets.

While visiting local intelligent manufacturing facilities, Ding underscored the need to develop specialty industrial clusters in line with local conditions, and build a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as its backbone.

Ding also called for efforts to bolster technological innovation by enterprises and leverage disruptive innovation to promote the high-end, smart and green development of industries.