BOAO, Hainan, April 10 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping said Tuesday China will strengthen protection of intellectual property rights.

He made the remarks in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference held in the southern island province of Hainan.

IPR protection is the centerpiece of the system for improving property rights protection, and it will provide the biggest boost to enhancing the competitiveness of the Chinese economy, the president said.

"Stronger IPR protection is the requirement of foreign enterprises, and even more so of Chinese enterprises," he said.