CNR:

You just mentioned that Qinghai's unique natural conditions and ecological environment are a precious gift from nature, which has led to the development of various characteristic industries. Could you please elaborate on the evolution of Qinghai's local specialty industries over the years, their impact on lifting people out of poverty and towards prosperity as well as any future plans? Thank you.

Wu Xiaojun:

Thank you for your question. I would like to ask Mr. Yang to answer this question.

Yang Zhiwen:

Thank you for your question as well as for your attention and support towards the development of characteristic industries in Qinghai and our efforts to increase people's incomes. Over the years, Qinghai has capitalized on its resource endowment and comparative advantages, developing and expanding plateau-specific industries according to local conditions. This has helped nearly 540,000 people of all ethnic groups in the province to escape poverty and increase their incomes. The per capita disposable income of farmers has more than doubled compared to ten years ago. We have also carefully identified the channels for increasing incomes, mainly in the following four aspects:

Firstly, agriculture and animal husbandry have contributed to a steady increase in incomes. We have accelerated the development of Qinghai as a green and organic agricultural and livestock product output base. We have meticulously cultivated characteristic industries such as yaks, Tibetan sheep, cold-water fish, highland barley and Qaidam Chinese wolfberries. Over the past three years, the output value of agricultural and livestock products to other regions has exceeded 30 billion yuan. Last year alone, the total income from picking Chinese wolfberries reached 589 million yuan, with a per capita income of 8,000 yuan, significantly aiding in an increase to incomes.

Second, we have capitalized on the salt lake and clean energy industries to boost incomes. Thanks to the vigorous development in recent years of the salt lake industry and clean energy industries, such as solar and wind power, 283,000 people have been lifted out of poverty, gaining a stable income through various means such as employment, land transfer and participation in management. We have explored a new model of "photovoltaic plus agriculture and animal husbandry." As Mr. Wu just introduced, we use photovoltaic panels to generate electricity and conduct farming and grazing underneath these panels, achieving a "win-win" for industrial development and income increase.

Third, we have integrated into the eco-friendly industry in order to increase incomes. By leveraging our richly endowed green ecology, we are developing new income-generating business formats such as forest health resort, under-forest economy, rural tourism and grassland nomad tourism. As more people seek to experience the beauty of the green ecology, locals have begun to reap the benefits from the ecological resources and the tourism industry, leading to an increase in income right at their doorstep.

Fourth, we have driven income growth by building characteristic industry brands. Through the cultivation and promotion of the Qinghai hand-pulled noodle brands, nearly 200,000 people of all ethnic groups have opened almost 30,000 Qinghai hand-pulled noodle restaurants in 337 cities both domestically and internationally, with a per capita average annual income of more than 30,000 yuan. Our Qinghai embroidery industry has generated fresh vitality, with more than 300,000 embroiderers using their skilled "needlework" to "stitch" together happy new lives.

Moving forward, we will concentrate on three areas: First, we will effectively implement preferential policies. Policies such as fiscal rewards, tax reductions and exemptions, refunding unemployment insurance premiums are favorably tilted towards characteristic industries. Over 60% of the funding from east-west cooperation is allocated for the development of characteristic industries. We aim to rapidly and directly disseminate the dividends of these policies and maximize the synergy of different policies. Second, we're expanding channels for increasing income. Each year, characteristic industries provide jobs for more than 200,000 people who have been lifted out of poverty. We support them in developing characteristic industries that suit their realities. We are improving and implementing a cooperative economic model driven by leading enterprises and stabilizing income increases through various methods, such as shareholding dividends and land transfer. Lastly, we are focusing on building labor brands well. We effectively use various financial products unique to Qinghai, and promote the upgrading of industries and labor brands such as Qinghai hand-pulled noodles, Qinghai caterpillar fungus, Qinghai embroidery and Qaidam Chinese wolfberries picking. We aim to cultivate a new batch of labor brands in areas like plateau ecology, clean energy and modern service industries, continuously expanding brand influence and awareness as well as enhancing the income through the power of branding.

That's all for my introduction. Thank you!