Premier Li Keqiang visited Jilin University on April 10, inspecting the university's national key laboratory of inorganic synthesis and preparative chemistry.

The Premier said that though research in this field seems like "sitting on the cold bench", or sidelined, it is set to be a hot spot in the future.

A country's core competitiveness should rely on basic scientific research, and only a solid foundation can foster innovation and generate world-class performance, the Premier said.

Li told student entrepreneurs that students on campus should put their studies first.

Li called on them to study and start businesses at the same time so as to put what they learned into practice.

Study is the basis, said the Premier, adding that students should learn not only from books but also from experience.

Starting up businesses is actually learning from experience and this makes the knowledge learned more down-to-earth and useful, said the premier.

Zhu Cuilin, a medical graduate and member of the Bethune Volunteers Association, said that the fact that the Premier wrote back to volunteers of the association last year has greatly motivated them.

Zhu said she plans to work at a community-level medical center after graduation, to sharpen her professional skills.

The Premier praised her, adding that one can accumulate the most precious experience while working at the community level.

Answering requests from the volunteers, the Premier also signed his signature for them.