CCTV:

Thank you. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that Shaanxi was experiencing accelerated growth during his inspection tour to the province in 2015. When he visited Shaanxi again last year, he required Shaanxi to write a new chapter of accelerated growth in the new era. Could you please brief us on what Shaanxi has done in implementing the important instructions of the General Secretary over the past year? What are your plans next? Thank you.

Liu Guozhong:

Thank you. Last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping made another inspection tour to Shaanxi. He drew a grand blueprint for the province's economic and social development and people's well-being in the new era. This has greatly stimulated the drive to conduct work across the province. Both the officials and people have adopted a new enthusiastic attitude, pooling their will and strength to achieve accelerated growth in the new era.

Over the past year, we have used the important instructions made by the General Secretary to achieve unity in thinking, will and action. We have kept checking ourselves and maintained alignment. We have divided tasks in detail and focused on implementation. New progress has hence been made in economic and social development and Party building. Going forward, we will exert more pressure, increase intensify, and speed up efforts to keep fully  implement the five requirements (making greater strides in promoting high-quality economic development, developing an inland pacesetter of reform and opening-up, achieving constant improvement of eco-environment, enhancing people's well-being and social development, and enforcing full and strict governance over the Party) set out by the General Secretary for Shaanxi, and deliver a good performance to ensure stability on six fronts (employment, finance, foreign trade, foreign investment, domestic investment and market expectations), and maintain security in six areas (jobs, daily living needs, food and energy, industrial and supply chains, the interests of market players and the smooth functioning of grassroots government) to ensure that new accomplishments can be made every year to pursue accelerated growth in the new era .

First, we will make greater strides in promoting high-quality economic development. Among the five requirements laid out by the General Secretary, the first is high-quality economic development. With high political awareness, we have earnestly implemented the new development philosophy; made in-depth, accurate and effective efforts to deliver the 14th Five-Year Plan; deepened supply-side structural reform; promoted high-quality development through high-quality projects; and accelerated the building of a modern industrial system with Shaanxi characteristics. Last year, we organized group visits to key projects throughout the province to draw on their experiences. This year, on the first day after the Spring Festival holiday, we launched more than 900 key projects. This helped enhance the focus on vigorously promoting high-quality projects across the province. Next, we will let the power of innovation drive us to upgrade traditional industries, develop strategic emerging industries, and nurture modern agriculture with distinctive features, so as to ensure that more high-quality projects are well-planned, effectively implemented, and successfully delivered.

Second, we will develop an inland pacesetter of reform and opening-up. The General Secretary urged us to focus on major reform measures that are fundamental, essential and comprehensive, and urged us to integrate deeply into the grand landscape of the Belt and Road Initiative. We have stuck to deepening reform and opening wider on all fronts. The time taken to start a business was cut to three working days. A number of reform and innovation measures adopted in the pilot free trade zone were replicated and applied across the country. The number of enterprise exhibitors at the Fifth Silk Road International Exposition reached a record high. Looking forward, we will effectively promote market-based allocation of production factors. We will streamline administration and delegate power, improve regulation, and upgrade services. We will advance reforms in key areas and key links concerning state capital and state-owned enterprises (SOEs). We will foster a business environment that is based on market principles, governed by law, and up to international standards. At the same time, we will move faster to address our major weakness of not opening wide enough; promote the development of foreign companies, foreign trade and foreign investment in a synchronizing manner; and develop channels, platforms and environment simultaneously to better serve and integrate ourselves into the new development paradigm.

Third, we will facilitate sustained improvement of eco-environment. The General Secretary pointed out that the eco-environment protection of Shaanxi not only concerns its own development quality and sustainability, but also bears on the overall eco-environment of the country. While pursuing accelerated growth in the new era, we have firmly defended the bottom line of ecological security, and made great efforts to promote the green transformation of economic and social development, and in turn, made new progress in the province's ecological conservation. Next, we will conduct systemic management of the mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts, roll out major conservation and restoration projects in key ecological areas such as the Qinling Mountains and the Yellow River, systemically protect the water source of the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, and comprehensively build green ecological security shields. We will strive to win the critical battle of pollution prevention and control; promote total resource management, scientific allocation, comprehensive conservation and recycling; and make sure that all aspects of economic and social development are green and low-carbon.

Fourth, we will enhance people's well-being and social development. The General Secretary stressed that people's well-being underpins their happiness and social harmony. As a province with higher levels of poverty previously, we were able to rid absolute poverty alongside other areas in the country last year. In the future, we will foster a high-quality life based on the consolidation and expansion of our poverty elimination achievements. We will develop more characteristic industries like turning small fungus business into an industry, cultivate more market entities that can create good job opportunities, and do everything possible to put money into people's pockets. At the same time, we will do everything within our power, set priorities, and handle every small issue well in the fields of education, culture, healthcare, social security, old-age care, childcare and housing to help people recognize the big changes in their lives. For example, the renovation of old urban residential communities and supporting infrastructure last year benefited 412,400 households. The restaurants set up for elderly people living alone solved their cooking problems. These achievements were thought highly of by the public. We will continue to work hard to deliver a happier life to the people of the province.

Fifth, we will move further forward with full and strict governance over the Party. The General Secretary emphasized that Party building can play a big role at critical moments only when it's conducted fully and effectively at ordinary times. Over the past year, we have exercised strict self-governance, and Party members and officials have become more energetic and pragmatic in their conduct. Going forward, we will not let up on any front to carry out full and strict discipline over the Party. We will strictly deal with corruption, and firmly oppose formalities for formalities' sake and bureaucratism to ensure that Party members and officials perform their duties with sincerity and integrity. We will continue to make pressure felt at every level and provide incentives. We will make good use of the "three mechanisms" to encourage and stimulate Party members and officials, allow for and address errors, and encourage officials to be adaptive in promotion and demotion. Additionally, we will fully inspire the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of various parties. We will make sure everyone is conscious of their involvement and responsibility in the pursuit of accelerated growth in the new era, so that the blueprint drawn by the General Secretary for Shaanxi can be turned into a reality. Thank you!