China will focus on strengthening targeted talent cultivation and scientific and technological innovation in higher education to provide strong support for establishing a major global center for talent and innovation, Education Minister Huai Jinpeng said on Friday.

In recent years, universities have played a significant role in the national innovation system, Huai said at a news conference held on the guiding principles from the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee.

"Major original breakthroughs have been achieved in the sciences regarding quantum, life, material, and space," he said.

China will promote categorized reforms in universities, guiding various types of institutions to leverage their strengths in different fields. "We will accelerate the construction of world-class universities and disciplines with Chinese characteristics," he said.

To enhance innovation capacity, the country will further cultivate top talent in fundamental disciplines and advance the construction of subjects involving new engineering, new medical sciences, new agricultural sciences, and new liberal arts, Huai said.

"We will strengthen the coordinated development of S&T and humanities education, improving students' innovative thinking in S&T by enhancing their humanistic qualities," he said.

In addition, the education ministry will implement breakthrough plans for basic and interdisciplinary sciences to promote more original technological innovations, Huai said.

He highlighted the cultivation of young scientific talent through providing long-term support for a group of young university lecturers to engage in high-level exploration and challenge scientific frontiers, he added.