Skills event in Shanghai showcases young talent

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 48th World-Skills Competition, which opened on Tuesday in Shanghai, highlighting that sweeping technological and industrial changes are reshaping global vocational skill development and reaffirming China's commitment to cultivating young skilled talent.

In the letter, Xi said China stands ready to deepen exchanges and cooperation with all participating parties to advance global skills development, better contribute to world economic growth and improve people's livelihoods and well-being.

Xi said the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating, bringing profound and far-reaching changes to global vocational skills development.

The WorldSkills Competition closely aligns with industry needs and provides a valuable platform for skilled professionals from around the world to hone their skills and learn from and exchange experiences with one another, Xi said.

China will inspire and guide more workers, especially young people, to achieve career success through professional skills, he said.

Premier Li Qiang attended the event and officially declared the competition open.

Before the opening ceremony, Li met with WorldSkills International President Francis Hourant and Chief Executive Officer David Hoey.

The ceremony was held at the Shanghai World Expo Cultural Center and began with a colorful and energetic parade featuring skilled young competitors from around the world.

Delegations marched along the "Skill Dream Avenue", an indoor-outdoor thoroughfare, greeting spectators at an outdoor plaza before proceeding into the venue.

Live performances celebrated China's rich craft heritage, combining reenactments of the use of ancient Chinese skills with multimedia renderings of the Silk Road to connect local and global skills traditions. Humanoid robots performed alongside human artists, underscoring the role of human creativity in driving technological progress.

During the event, skilled young workers from different continents shared their own experiences, highlighting how vocational skills can transform lives.

A total of 1,385 competitors from 68 countries and regions will compete in Shanghai from Wednesday through Saturday at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

The closing ceremony will be held on Sunday.

China's 71 competitors, with an average age of 21, are competing in all 64 skills, highlighting the country's pool of young skilled talent.

Since China's debut at the 2011 WorldSkills Competition in London, Chinese competitors have won 93 gold medals and topped both the gold medal table and the overall team rankings at four consecutive WorldSkills editions.

At a news conference before the ceremony, Zhai Tao, deputy director of the department of vocational capacity building at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said China joined WorldSkills International in 2010 as its 53rd member.

In the years since, the organization has expanded to a network of 90 member countries and regions, reflecting the growing recognition of skills development worldwide, Zhai said.

Wang Di, director of the WorldSkills Competition China (Shanghai) Research Center, said the WorldSkills Competition is not merely about technology, but is closely linked to clearly defined occupations.