the Chinese president Xi Jinping promised to increase the country’s production capacity so as not to depend on foreign markets. This was reported by state media on Monday.

In his annual speech to parliament in Beijing on Sunday, Xi said China should be able to stand on its own two feet.

“I have always said there are two critical areas for China: one is protecting our rice bowl and the other is building a strong manufacturing sector,” Xi told the state-run People’s Daily.

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“As a large country of 1.4 billion people, we have to trust ourselves“, he added. “We cannot depend on international markets to save us.”

Xi made the remarks during a meeting with delegates from China’s Jiangsu province.

Beijing insists on the need to build a self-sufficient industry and forego imports in sectors deemed vital to national security, such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

The United States has tightened sanctions against Chinese chip makers in recent months, citing national security concerns and the possibility that the technology could be used by the Chinese military.