BEIJING -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has demanded "fertile soil" for innovation and entrepreneurship and called for more efforts to discover and support inventors.

He made the remarks in an instruction to the opening of the 7th national congress of the China Association of Inventions, praising the great inventions throughout Chinese history.

"Currently, China is pushing ahead with mass innovation and entrepreneurship under an innovation-fueled growth strategy, which is expected to unleash the great creativity of ordinary people," said Li.

Innovation can nurture new technologies, new industries and new business types to deliver sustained and healthy economic growth, said the premier.