President Xi Jinping has urged stronger independent innovation capacity for China during an inspection to the Three Gorges Dam, saying the country must master the core technology of high-end equipment.

China must rely on its own efforts, Xi said Tuesday at the dam, which lies on the Yangtze River near Yichang City, central China's Hubei Province.

As the world's largest hydropower project, the Three Gorges project is a multi-functional water control system consisting of a dam stretching 2,309 meters long and 185 meters high, 32 hydropower turbo-generators, a five-tier ship lock and a shiplift.

China would not have its leading ability if it had relied on others to build the dam, said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation can only be achieved through untiring struggle, he said.

Xi inspected the ship lock, the shiplift and the power plants on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, and listened to reports about work on topics including construction, power generation, navigation and environmental protection.

During an inspection to a new material industrial park on the Yangtze River, Xi stressed coordination in ecological protection and economic development.

Ecological restoration should be the top priority, Xi said, noting China's mother river must be protected, and any exploitation that is destructive to the environment must be forbidden.

China will push for industrial transformation and upgrades in the region, and foster suitable sectors under the precondition of ecological protection, to achieve high-quality development in a scientific, orderly manner, Xi said.