China Financial and Economic News:

As the key infrastructure connecting urban and rural areas, rural roads are indispensable for promoting rural economic development and improving people's well-being. What are your considerations and major tasks for the future in regards to promoting the high-quality development of rural roads? Thank you.

Li Yang: 

Thank you for your question. Looking from the point of view based on our endeavors to develop rural roads, most of the road network has already been completed. Next, as the journalist just mentioned, we will enter a new stage of high-quality development. Now, we are taking comprehensive moves to implement a rural revitalization strategy. Rural roads are a major infrastructure that promote common rural prosperity, advance rural revitalization across the board as well as expedite the modernization of agriculture and rural areas. On the new journey of the new era, we should continue to make sustained efforts. One of my colleagues just mentioned that rural roads have become projects that improve people's lives and win over people's hearts. To fully implement these projects, we will take efforts in three aspects to launch a new round of programs focused on the upgrading of rural roads. 

First, enhancing service support for the comprehensive vitalization of rural areas. Through the construction of rural roads, including services, we aim to promote the enhancement and integrated development of our industries. We plan to focus on upgrading the main rural road network to Grade III standard or higher, creating fast access routes that connect townships and major economic nodes. We will vigorously develop the "Rural Road Plus" model, accelerating the construction of roads for rural industries, tourism and resources. This effort will further deepen the integration of transportation with the tourism and energy sectors. We will also enhance the construction of "Beautiful Rural Roads," coordinating the development of rural roads, optimizing village layouts, and improving the rural living environment.

Second, ensuring safety and securing the baseline. Safety is the primary task in promoting the development of rural roads. We focus on providing paved roads to larger natural villages and graded roads to administrative villages, accelerating the renovation of old roads and the widening or creation of passing lanes on overly narrow rural roads. In the past, some rural roads were built so narrow that vehicles could not pass each other, sometimes making travel difficult, but now rural transportation is developing rapidly. We will strengthen the inspection and rectification of potential risks and hidden dangers in rural roads, bridges and tunnels, while accelerating the enhancement of safety protection capabilities. We will increase investment in maintenance, advance rectification projects for substandard road sections, and steadily improve the road service.

Third, striving to improve service quality and increase public satisfaction. With the increasing use of new energy vehicles on rural roads and changes in travel modes, we will focus on enhancing the construction of service facilities along rural roads. We aim to further expand services such as parking, shopping, tourism and charging, to promote the equalization of urban and rural passenger transport services. We will further optimize rural logistics services and improve the integrated development of passenger, freight and postal services in rural areas. We will further promote work--relief programs in the construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure, directly creating more job opportunities. We will make coordinated use of public welfare positions in the management and maintenance of rural roads, creating more opportunities for employment and income generation for rural residents along these routes. This will continuously enhance the sense of gain, happiness and security among the vast rural population.

That is all from me. Thank you.