BEIJING -- Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin on Monday urged giving priority to nurturing highly-skilled talents in manufacturing to support the building of a modern socialist China in all respects.

Shen made the remarks at a symposium on highly-skilled talents held in Beijing. On behalf of the State Council, she congratulated the winners of China's top skills awards.

The country should improve the evaluation system for skilled talents and make it contribution-oriented, in order to better incentivize innovation, Shen said.

Efforts should be concentrated on developing highly-skilled talents in key areas, including manufacturing, rural revitalization and modern services, according to Shen.

She also emphasized creating an environment of esteem for hard work and skills, and called on skilled talents to inspire more people to follow in their footsteps.