Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed self-reliance in science and technology, hailing it as the "key" in building China into a great modern socialist country, during an inspection tour of an information technology innovation park in Beijing on Monday.

When visiting the national information technology innovation park in Beijing E-Town, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, viewed displays showcasing sci-tech achievements in fields such as artificial intelligence and robotics, and spoke with researchers and heads of technology enterprises.

Xi said he was "even more confident" in the country's sci-tech innovation after seeing what was presented during the visit.

He stressed that sci-tech self-reliance and strength is the "key" in China's efforts to build a great modern socialist country and urged the Chinese capital to leverage its unique strengths to make greater contributions in this regard.

He also extended his Spring Festival wishes to the crowd at the park.

The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional festival for the Chinese. This year it falls on Feb 17.