BEIJING - Senior?Party?leader Liu Yunshan on Saturday paid a visit to three scientists who have been awarded China's top science prize.

On behalf of President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Liu extended lunar new year greetings to the three -- Xie Jialin, Zheng Zhemin and Wang Xiaomo -- and all science workers in the country.

Xie is a physicist and was awarded the State Top Scientific and Technological Award for 2011 along with 5 million yuan (about 820,000 U.S.dollars) in prize money. Explosion mechanics expert Zheng and radar engineer Wang won the award in 2012.

They thanked the central leadership for the greetings and said they will make more contributions to build China into an innovative country.

China will depend on reform

To realize sci-tech development, China must insist on the path of independent innovation, and the scientists must dare to take paths where nobody has gone before, according to Liu.

China will deepen reform in the science system to increase vitality for innovation and develop an advantage in talent with international competitiveness, said the senior official.

The country's sci-tech cause requires government policies, such as guarantees and stimulus, Liu said, promising that China will create sound conditions for innovation and creation by scientific personnel.

He also urged Party and government authorities at various levels to unite excellent scientific staff and better serve their work.