Li Wenlong is a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress and chief technical expert of CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. [Photo/Qingdao Daily]

"The formation of new productive forces must rely on innovation, innovative technology, and innovative talent," said Li Wenlong, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress and chief technical expert of CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co, a subsidiary of China's rail giant China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation.

Li added that "new productive forces" will play a pivotal role in the nation's pursuit of high-quality development, and should be positioned as a key mission by major corporatations, especially State-owned enterprises, to help drive the nation's modernization progress.

During the ongoing two sessions in Beijing, "new productive forces" have become a key term in the deployment of economic work from the central government to local levels and is also a subject of intense debate among representatives and committee members.

As the chief technical expert and senior engineer, Li is currently capable of independent research and development, designing equipment and processes, and solving difficult technical problems. He has obtained 10 national patents.

Li said that high-speed rail is a testament to China's manufacturing sector. From a speed of 200 kilometers per hour to 350 km per hour and then to 600 km per hour, "Chinese speed" is the result of a challenging path of independent innovation. Li has experience with the assembly and manufacture of high-speed electric multiple units (EMUs) and high-speed maglev transportation systems, innovating multiple operational processes and solving a series of problems.

At the age of 35, Li has worked at CRRC Sifang for 16 years, cultivating the field of interior assembly manufacturing for high-speed EMUs. Through his and his team's assembly work, more than 1,700 sets of high-speed EMUs (with eight cars per set) have been put into operation safely. His experience from years of frontline work, combined with his spirit of research and innovation, has transformed him from an ordinary fitter into a "high-speed rail craftsman" in the interior assembly of EMUs.