Shou Xiaoli:

Thank you, Mr. Yan. Next is the Q&A session. Please state the news outlet you represent before raising questions. The floor is now open for questions. 

Economic Daily:

As of the end of 2019, 74 counties and districts and 628,000 people documented as impoverished in Xizang were lifted out of poverty, according to reports. How has Xizang consolidated and furthered the results of poverty alleviation efforts while promoting rural revitalization in the more than three years thereafter? Thank you. 

Yan Jinhai:

Mr. Xu will answer this question. 

Xu Zhitao:

Thank you for the question. We all know that Xizang used to be the only provincial-level contiguous poor area. However, through strenuous efforts, Xizang has realized moderate prosperity together with other regions of the country. Like Mr. Yan just mentioned, it is really difficult to eradicate absolute poverty in a place like Xizang, where you have to endure many hardships. After shaking off poverty, Xizang turned its focus to facilitating all villagers, promoting rural revitalization by boosting its industries, human resources, culture, eco-environment, and organizing ability in order to drive development. In recent years, we have been practical and made efforts in the following aspects:

First, we have improved mechanisms and stabilized policies. We reshuffled rural revitalization agencies at three levels, i.e. the autonomous region, city (prefecture), and county (district). We also formed a working mechanism in which the leading group for rural work takes the helm, offices of rural work at different levels coordinate efforts, work is divided between different task forces, and different sectors and departments fulfill their own functions. We made sure that even though poverty had been eliminated, all of the related responsibilities, policies, support, and oversight remained in place. We also issued more than 30 succeeding policies concerning industrial development, employment, and people's basic living needs to ensure access to compulsory education, basic medical services, and safe housing. 

Second, we have adopted a bottom-line mindset to cement previous successes. We have improved the dynamic monitoring and assistance mechanism to prevent people from slipping back into poverty. We have ensured that all dropouts from compulsory education from families who had shaken off poverty have returned to school. For subsistence allowance recipients and low-income populations in urban and rural areas, the proportion of their self-paid expenses covered by medical assistance reached 95% and 90%, respectively. In farming and pastoral areas within the autonomous region, we conducted housing examinations for 481,000 households to identify safety hazards and continued to enhance dynamic monitoring of drinking water safety. 

Third, we have advanced development and increased residents' incomes. The autonomous region integrated and coordinated the use of government funds of 15.3 billion yuan and 14.8 billion yuan for rural development in 2021 and 2022, respectively, ensuring financial support for rural revitalization. We have strengthened the follow-up asset management of poverty alleviation projects and upgraded those projects. The per capita net income of people lifted out of poverty was 13,800 yuan in 2022, and its average annual growth rate was higher than that of the per capita disposable income of residents in the region's farming and pastoral areas.

Fourth, we have boosted rural revitalization in a fast yet steady manner. Since 2021, we have built 300 beautiful and livable villages and certified 505 demonstration ones. We launched a program to cultivate new customs and habits among farmers and herders, promoted the application of the scoring system in rural governance, and conducted various activities to form village rules, promote fine culture, and beautify villages.

We also implemented an outreach work system for rural revitalization among provincial-level officials. I'm now responsible for relevant work regarding a small village named Zhaxiding in Shigatse, Xizang, where the land is fertile, the scenery is pleasant, and the residents are diligent. More than half of the working-age population works outside the village, with their per capita income higher than the average for the whole region. Currently, in accordance with the requirements to build a beautiful and harmonious countryside, the village is implementing projects to harden roads, separate livestock from housing, and upgrade industries. I believe that in a few years, the village will become more beautiful, harmonious, and lively. Thank you.