Top political advisor Jia Qinglin on Wednesday encouraged overseas Chinese to play an important role in China's drive to build an innovative country.

Jia, chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, made the remarks while meeting with delegates to the Fifth Overseas Chinese Forum Worldwide, which opened on Tuesday.

Jia said that after nearly 60 years of efforts, China has seen its science and technology cause develop robustly and its innovative ability progress constantly.

China pays equal attention to training personnel by itself and introducing talents from overseas so as to build a huge sci-tech force for the country, said Jia, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau.

Among the overseas Chinese, there are lots of renowned experts, scholars and entrepreneurs, who could also be a treasure for China's development and contribute to the country's bid to build an innovative nation, he said.

He encouraged the delegates to work harder and make more contribution to the world sci-tech progress, help bridge China's exchanges and cooperation with the world, and make suggestions to propel the country's reform, opening-up and modernization drive.

The two-day forum was attended by some 200 scholars and entrepreneurs of Chinese descent from 16 countries and regions.

(Xinhua News Agency October 30, 2008)