NANJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to promote enterprise innovation and foster more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are specialized and innovative.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a congratulatory letter to a conference regarding these enterprises' development, which opened Thursday in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province.

Calling SMEs a vital force for promoting innovation, creating jobs and improving people's livelihoods, Xi expressed his hope that the specialized and innovative firms can focus on their main business and put effort into cultivating their speciality, so as to make greater contributions to stabilizing industrial and supply chains as well as boosting social and economic development.

Governments at all levels should create a favorable environment and increase support for SMEs, consolidate enterprises' confidence in development, encourage enterprises to be innovative, and strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights, Xi said.

Xi's letter was read out by Liu He, Chinese vice-premier and a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, who attended the opening ceremony of the conference via video link.