Lei Jun: More needs to be done for China's design industry

More efforts are needed to cultivate China's industrial design industry, as the country scrambles to upgrade its sprawling manufacturing sector, said Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Chinese technology heavyweight Xiaomi Corp, on Friday.

"There is a gap between China's design industry and those of foreign countries, because of our relatively weak industrial foundations and lack of high-end talent," said Lei on the sidelines of the ongoing first session of the 13th National People's Congress.

Lei proposed the establishment a national design association to help push the industry forward, and called for more favorable policies to nurture design talent.