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Ethnic minority areas used to be the difficulty and priority of poverty alleviation. Can you talk about what historic changes have been brought about by poverty alleviation and pursuit of moderate prosperity? What initiatives will be taken to promote all ethnic groups to achieve modernization together? Thank you.

Zhao Yong:

Thank you for your attention to development and reform in ethnic minority areas. Just as you have mentioned, poverty alleviation and pursuit of moderate prosperity have brought historic changes to ethnic minority areas, which can be concluded in the following aspects:

First, the living standards of people of all ethnic groups have been greatly improved. Through poverty alleviation and pursuit of moderate prosperity, people of all ethnic groups have more stable jobs and more satisfactory incomes. And they enjoy better public health services and better living environments. Over the decade, in ethnic minority areas, the average annual growth of per capita disposable income of urban residents is 7.7%, with that of rural residents being 10.2%. Poverty alleviation and pursuit of moderate prosperity have enabled countless people to change fate, realize dreams, and achieve happiness. Now the average life expectancy in ethnic minority areas has increased significantly, with the average life expectancy in Tibet having increased by a full four years over the decade.

Second, great changes have taken place in the mindsets of people of all ethnic groups. Some people used to wait for external assistance in the past, but now they are motivated to rely on their own efforts to strive for prosperity. Some people used to make a living only by farming, but now they leave their hometown and seek jobs elsewhere. Changes in mindsets have profoundly changed people's lifestyles and their way of production. They now have access to flush toilets and the internet. And farming has been mostly mechanized. It can be said that now people of all ethnic groups are more confident and more motivated.

Third, the momentum of development in ethnic minority areas has been greatly enhanced. In the process of eliminating poverty and achieving moderate prosperity, a great number of infrastructures have been built, with an increase of 15,800 kilometers of railway in the five autonomous regions of Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Tibet, Ningxia and Xinjiang and the three provinces of Guizhou, Yunnan and Qinghai over the decade, which was beyond imagination in the past. With a group of industrial parks built and a number of industrial projects developed, the basis for sustained growth has become increasingly stronger. I visited Jingning She autonomous county of Zhejiang province, and learned that it is relatively backward in Zhejiang. They built an "enclave" industrial park next to Lishui. The tax revenues generated by the industrial park last year accounted for 36% of the tax revenues of the whole county, and the industrial park contributed to nearly half of the whole county's value added of industrial enterprises above designated size. With the development of the "enclave" industrial park, they have pioneered a path of development by drawing on the resources of others. Much of the south Xinjiang used to be sandy and rocky areas. Now by developing modern agriculture, planting, and breeding industry, it has become famous nationwide for producing fruits. I also saw that in the old town of Kashi, some people have led a happy life by developing tourism depending on buildings with Uygur characteristics.

Fourth, the foundation for the Party's governance in ethnic minority areas has become more solid. Last year, I visited Pumajiangtang Township, Shannan City, Tibet, a township with the highest altitude in China. The local people told me that the township used to be inaccessible and people led a very hard life. They lived in adobe houses. What I saw in my visit this time were brand-new residential buildings and clean roads. People's houses were fully-equipped with furniture and were very neat. They have all lived a happy life. There was one household posting a couplet on the door, saying that just as we should never forget the people who dig the well for us to drink water, we should also never forget the CPC for lifting us out of poverty. I believe that the couplet expresses their aspirations. Poverty alleviation and pursuit of moderate prosperity have greatly enhanced the authority of the Party among the people, and built closer relations between the Party and the people and between officials and the people, making the public, social, and political foundation for the Party's governance more solid.

Fifth, socialist ethnic relations have been strengthened. Now the people of all ethnic groups assist, admire, and support each other. Such stories can be found everywhere. Many cities have residents of all 56 ethnic groups, and there are an increasing number of families consisting of members from different ethnic groups. In Xinjiang, 1.1 million officials have paired up with over 1.6 million households of ethnic minority groups as "relatives," writing the touching stories of the Chinse nation uniting as a big family in the new era.

The Chinese nation units as a big family, and all family members must live better lives. Next, we will act upon the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee and promote ethnic minority areas in the new development stage to follow the new development philosophy and integrate into the new development paradigm. We will focus on three key areas of development of industries, infrastructure, and ecological shields to achieve high-quality development in ethnic minority areas and further refine the differentiated policies in support of regional development to advance rural revitalization in ethnic minority areas. Among the 160 key counties to receive assistance in pursuing rural revitalization, 114 are in ethnic autonomous areas. We will fully carry out the action plan to bring prosperity to border areas and their residents. In particular, we will ensure that all the reforms and development demonstrate a sense of community among the Chinese people. How to implement it? When selecting a project, we should not only focus on its contribution to economic growth but also on its contribution to increasing jobs and improving the people's wellbeing and on whether it is conducive to forging a strong sense of community among the Chinese people. When assessing the feasibility of the project, we should take whether it is conducive to forging a strong sense of community among the Chinese people as an important criterion. When implementing the project, we should provide jobs for local people of all ethnic groups as much as possible to promote exchanges, interactions, and integration among ethnic groups. When evaluating the project, we should focus not only on financial returns and ecological benefits but also if it contributes to forging a sense of community among the Chinese people. In short, concrete and effective measures should be taken to promote all ethnic groups to achieve socialist modernization together. In the past, the toughest mission in poverty alleviation and pursuit of moderate prosperity was in ethnic minority areas. Now the toughest mission of realizing modernization is also in ethnic minority areas. We are confident and capable of cracking this "hardest nut."

Thank you.

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