President Xi Jinping has asked local governments in southwest China's Sichuan Province, which was hit by a strong earthquake last month, to shift their focus to rehabilitation.

President Xi Jinping kisses a boy at a tent set up for survivors of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Lushan County in Sichuan Province on April 20. Xi visited people in tents, inquired about the health of quake-hit patients, and spoke to primary school students in Lushan.

During a visit to hard-hit Lushan County, Xi urged local governments to carefully evaluate the damage and draft a rehabilitation plan based on local conditions.

The rehabilitation program should not only consider local economic and social conditions, but also provide a chance for quake-hit areas to upgrade and realize sustainable growth, Xi said.

Local governments should create preferential rehabilitation policies targeting investment, taxation, land use, employment and social security, he said.

Rehabilitation should also include the participation of the private sector and local residents, he said.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Lushan on April 20, killing at least 196 people.

Related

• Xi says life in Lushan will get better
• Academy starts post-quake reconstruction evaluation
• 819 remain hospitalized after Lushan quake
• School's in for Lushan's quake-hit students
• China starts Lushan quake damage assessment

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