Chinese Premier Li Keqiang emphasized the spirit of craftsmanship during a visit to Huaxiang Group, a private steel-casting company in Linfen, north China’s Shanxi province, on Tuesday.

Learning that the group provides an annual salary of 3 million yuan ($456,000) to some of its top craftsmen, which is four times that of the company’s CEO, Li said the group will have a brighter future. He added that craftsmen should pass on their skills to apprentices to make Chinese-made products competitive in terms of both price and quality.