Wang Dongfeng:

Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning. It's a great pleasure to meet you here. First of all, on behalf of the CPC Hebei Provincial Committee, the People's Government of Hebei Province, and 74.6 million people of Hebei, let me begin by expressing my sincere gratitude for your long-term interest in and support for Hebei.

Hebei is a revolutionary land, the birthplace of numerous heroes, and where the new China came from. Li Dazhao, a native of Laoting county in the northeast of Hebei, was a pioneer of the Chinese revolution and one of the main founders of the CPC. Xibaipo in Pingshan county is a major revolutionary site. From May 1948 to March 1949, Chairman Mao and the CPC Central Committee commanded in Xibaipo the three major campaigns. These campaigns were decisive for the future of China. Also in Xibaipo, they convened the second plenary session of the seventh CPC Central Committee which had far-reaching historical significance, formed the Xibaipo Spirit with the "two musts" as its core, and compared the upcoming trek to "going for a big exam in the capital city" as they left for Beijing. As such, a greater "new Long March" started. Therefore, Xibaipo provides valuable revolutionary resources as well as a strong motivation for the campaign on Party history learning and education.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has a deep understanding and strong affection for Hebei. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, he has inspected Hebei eight times and made a series of important instructions. These include "accelerating in four aspects," which means to accelerate Hebei's development while serving and aligning with Beijing and Tianjin; accelerate the transformation of growth drivers through reform, innovation, opening up and cooperation; accelerate the improvement of the living environment through pollution control and environmental remediation; and accelerate the building of a beautiful province with a strong economy while improving people's lives through poverty reduction and shared development. Another important instruction is to "make solid progress in six major tasks." This includes doing a good job in flood prevention, disaster rescue and relief; implementing the new development philosophy; advancing the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region; stepping up environmental initiatives; fighting against poverty; and creating an honest and upright political environment. The third instruction is to "achieve concrete results in three important aspects." This includes cutting overcapacity, eliminating poverty, and making preparations for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. He also made other important instructions on "building Hebei into a beautiful province with a strong economy." He has personally planned and promoted major national strategies and events including the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the construction of Xiongan New Area, and preparations for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, which provided unprecedented historical opportunities for Hebei's development and pointed out the direction for our work. Since the 19th CPC National Congress, the entire province has steadfastly implemented the series of important instructions made by General Secretary Xi Jinping as well as the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee; followed the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; strengthened the consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership; stayed confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and upheld General Secretary Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and upheld the Party Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership. We have upheld the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, carried forward the Xibaipo Spirit, and implemented Hebei's working concepts for "three major tasks, six tough battles, eight strategies and nine reforms." As a result, new historic changes have been achieved in Hebei's political, economic, natural, and social environments. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), Hebei's GDP grew at an average annual rate of 6.1%. Especially last year, despite the sudden attack of COVID-19, Hebei still maintained sustained and sound economic development. In 2020, our GDP increased 3.9% year on year; the general public budget revenue grew 2.3%; the industrial structure continued to optimize, with the tertiary industry accounting for 51.7% of the province's GDP; and the main economic indicators were higher than the national average. This year, Hebei province got off to a good start in implementing the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). In the first quarter, our GDP and the general public budget revenue increased by 15.1% and 18.8% respectively; total fixed-asset investment and the added value of industries above designated size increased by 16.2% and 17.6% respectively; our total import and export increased by 32.1%; and urban and rural income increased by 12.8%. Today's Hebei is full of vigor and vitality. With full confidence and strong motivation, the people of Hebei are working in unison to achieve greater progress in the new era and strive forward on a new journey.

Now, I'll brief you on Hebei's development in four aspects.