BEIJING - One hundred individuals from the non-public sector of the economy or belonging to new social groups were awarded the title of "outstanding builders of socialism with Chinese characteristics" Thursday.

Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, addressed the honoring ceremony held in Beijing.

Wang stressed the importance of promoting healthy growth of the non-public sector of the economy, encouraging those working in this sector to achieve success, and uniting them for the endeavors to rejuvenate the Chinese nation.

He encouraged the title winners to be models of patriotism, professional excellence, law-abiding business, innovation and entrepreneurship, and social responsibility.

Calling for the firm pursuit of high-quality development, Wang urged them to focus on their respective sectors and industries, promote quality workmanship and work to transform "made-in-China" into "created-in-China," Chinese speed into Chinese quality, and Chinese products into Chinese brands.

Underscoring that Chinese central authorities' plan and policies supporting and guiding the development of the non-public sector of the economy have already been laid out clearly, Wang said the key now is to implement them.

Authorities across all regions and levels should take onboard enterprises' concerns, and take the initiative to serve enterprises so as to ensure policies are implemented for their benefit, he said.