People's Daily:

I noticed that Xinjiang in recent years has continued to promote many projects to benefit the people. How is the progress going? What aspects will you focus on to ensure as well as to improve people's wellbeing in the next stage? Thank you.

Erkin Tuniyaz:

Thank you for your questions. I will answer these questions. No matter is too small if it delivers benefits to the people. Over the years, we have focused on the major practical issues of greatest public concern that directly affect people's wellbeing, such as education, employment, medical care and housing, and have solved many pressing difficulties and problems.  

In terms of education, we have continued to increase investment in related resources in recent years. 15-year free education from kindergarten to high school has been achieved in southern Xinjiang's urban and rural areas. On average, there is one kindergarten for every 102 children in Xinjiang and one primary school for every 783 students. The gross enrollment ratio for high school has reached 98.25%. A great number of young people from all over the country have taken root in Xinjiang and devoted themselves to the cause of education. Now in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, the best buildings are schools, and the most beautiful sceneries are on their campuses. We will accelerate the implementation of the initiative to upgrade basic education so that more families and children can enjoy quality educational resources.

In terms of employment, we do our best to support employment, which is pivotal to people's wellbeing . Mr. Chen Weijun just gave a detailed introduction on this issue. We leave out nobody with employment difficulties, provide comprehensive assistance and implement targeted policies for everyone in need. In 2023, a total of 482,200 new urban jobs were added, and the phenomenon of urban zero-employment families has always been addressed in no time. We always recommend surplus rural labor obtain employment locally, and also fully respect personal willingness and support them to find jobs elsewhere. We will take more policy measures to promote employment, increase income and warm people's hearts, as well as improve service inputs, remove bottlenecks and solve difficulties, promote employment and entrepreneurship through multiple channels and strive to achieve fuller and higher-quality employment.

In terms of medical services, we channel more high-quality medical resources toward lower-level medical institutions, and a medical and health service network covering urban and rural areas has been established. Now every village has a standardized clinic, and county-level hospitals can provide telemedicine, achieving the goal of minor illnesses, common illnesses and serious illnesses being cured locally at village level, town and township level, and county level medical facilities, respectively. We will focus on the development of a healthy Xinjiang, make every effort to improve the quality of public medical services, continuously strengthen the supply of high-quality medical resources and even distribution among regions, as well as provide the people with more and higher-quality health services.

In terms of housing, we have built a total of 2.7 million rural earthquake-resistant houses in Xinjiang, and more than 11 million farmers and herdsmen have moved into new homes. In January this year, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Wushi county, Aksu prefecture. The houses of farmers and herdsmen in that area withstood the test of this severe earthquake, bringing not only comfort but also a sense of security to the people. We will continue to improve the housing conditions of the people, scale up the construction and supply of government-subsidized houses, and strive to create a happy home for people of all ethnic groups.

At the same time, Xinjiang will continue to address the "10 livelihood matters," ensuring the fulfillment of our commitment. Overall, our work will focus on the people's needs and ensure that development fully benefits all ethnic groups.

That's all I have to say. Thank you.