BEIJING - The text of President Xi Jinping's speech at a science and technology (S&T) conference on Monday has been published by the People's Publishing House.

Setting a national target for S&T development, Xi said China should establish itself as one of the most innovative countries by 2020 and as a leading innovator by 2030, finally becoming a world S&T power by the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 2049.

The president stressed the role of S&T as a bedrock upon which "the country relies for its power, enterprises rely for success, and people rely for a better life."

"Great scientific and technological capacity is a must for China to be strong and for people's lives to improve," he said, calling for new ideas, designs, and strategies in science and technology.

Xi also warned that the country faces a major S&T bottleneck and a big gap in innovation capacity.

"The situation, in which our country is under the control of others in core technologies in key fields, has not fundamentally changed, and the country's S&T foundation remains weak," Xi said at the conference.

"Currently, the state needs the strategic support of science and technology more urgently than any other time in the past," said Xi.