Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, listened to a report on the work of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee and the provincial government on May 17. Xi stressed that Shaanxi should have the ambition and courage to become the pioneer of the era in advancing Chinese modernization, make efforts to catch up with and surpass other regions, so as to play a demonstrative role in the western region. He stressed the importance of fully and accurately implementing the new development philosophy on all fronts. Centering on the primary task of high-quality development, taking into consideration the big picture of the national development, based on its own reality, Shaanxi needs to leverage its strengths, clarify its main development targets, take the initiative to integrate into and serve the forging of a new development pattern, and work hard to achieve new breakthroughs in building self-reliance and strength in science and technology, developing a modern industrial system, promoting coordinated development between urban and rural areas, expanding high-level opening up, and strengthening ecological and environmental protection. All these endeavors will contribute to the writing of a new chapter of Chinese modernization in Shaanxi.

Xi listened to a report on the work of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee and the provincial government on May 17 ahead of the China-Central Asia Summit, which will be held in Xi'an, capital city of Shaanxi Province. Xi will preside over the summit. Zhao Yide, secretary of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee, delivered the report. Zhao Gang, governor of Shaanxi, among others, attended the meeting. Xi made an important speech, in which he affirmed what the province has achieved in various aspects of work.

Xi pointed out that Shaanxi must achieve new breakthroughs in innovation in science and technology and in the development of a modernized industrial system in order to catch up with and surpass other regions. The Province should focus on developing the real economy based on its industrial foundation and endowment of resources. While consolidating its traditionally leading industries, it should explore new fields and paths, and develop new strengths for competition. It needs to promote technological innovation to accelerate high-end, smart and green transformation of traditional industries, boost strategic emerging industries, and develop digital economy and modern service industries. Efforts are needed for the province to promote the development of smarter, greener and more integrated industries and build a complete modern industrial system that is advanced and secure, and improve modern energy industrial clusters, Xi noted. He urged that focus should be placed on national strategic demands and key fields in international competition to launch national major technological projects, make breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields and develop more cutting-edge technologies and projects of national significance. Leading role of enterprises in technological innovation should be strengthened, and innovation, industries, funds and professionals should be further integrated to accelerate the industrialization of achievements in science and technology. The provincial government is urged to do a good job in building the comprehensive national science center and the technological innovation center in Xi'an, and build the city into a key sci-tech research, cultural and education center and hi-tech industrial and manufacturing hub.

Xi stressed that rural development is still the most arduous task when it comes to building a modern socialist country in all respects and promoting common prosperity, and urban-rural gap must be gradually narrowed. It is necessary to promote new urbanization with counties playing a key role. The construction level of public utilities in counties must be raised, and so must the basic public services as well as supporting industries there. Comprehensive carrying capacities and governance capacity of counties must be promoted so that the role of counties in boosting economic growth of county-level regions can be given full play. We should develop small cities and towns in line with local conditions, promote the sound development of featured small towns, so as to forging a county sphere economic system with county towns as pivots and small cities and towns as junctures. We should develop and improve institutions and mechanisms for integrated urban-rural development, put in place policies for promoting equal exchanges of production factors between urban and rural areas, so as to facilitate the smooth flow of resource elements from cities to villages and unleash new impetus for the development of agriculture and countryside. We should redouble our efforts to develop featured industries in line with local conditions, advance the integration of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas to open up more channels for increasing farmers' incomes. It is imperative to continuously improve rural living environment, preserve traditional villages and rural characteristics, promote cultural and ethical progress in rural areas, and nurture good folk customs. It is essential to continue with dynamic monitoring, strengthen the endogenous drivers for development of regions that have just been alleviated out of poverty, and guard against a large-scale relapse into poverty.

Xi noted that more efforts must be made to transform our growth model into a green and low-carbon one so as to promote ecological progress. We should firmly establish and practice the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and continue to improve air, water and land quality. Shaanxi Province should pursue high-quality development starting from the ecological conservation of the Yellow River Basin, strictly enforce the Yellow River Protection Law and relevant plans, step up comprehensive control of soil erosion and desertification, strengthen the ecological protection and restoration of the basin, deepen prevention and control of wide-spread pollution in agriculture, industry, urban and rural areas and improve the eco-environment in mining areas, thus doing a better job in protecting our mother river. Work must be done to establish a regular and long-term mechanism for the protection of the Qinling Mountains, set up a supervision system, strengthen dynamic investigation and governance, thus better protecting the "central water tower" of our country. Work should be done to strengthen the protection of the water source of the central route of the Water Diversion Project from South to North to ensure clear water can be transferred to the north perpetually. Xi called for green and low-carbon economic and social development, emphasizing accelerated restructuring in industry, energy, transportation and land use, and the green transformation of the energy sector, so as to advance towards carbon emissions peaking and carbon neutrality in a proactive and prudent manner. He stressed the importance of implementing a comprehensive resource conservation strategy, and promoting green consumption, as well as the intensive and economical use of resources.

Xi stressed that efforts should be made to open up wider both domestically and internationally, and develop the inland province into a high ground for reform and opening up. It is necessary to be more proactive in integrating into and serving the country's endeavor of fostering a new development pattern, integrate local development more deeply into the Belt and Road Initiative, and strengthen the development engine and dynamic in the process of expanding opening up domestically and internationally, so as to break new ground in development. Efforts should be made to steadily promote institutional opening up that covers rules, regulations, management and standards, advance high-quality development of pilot free trade zones, with a view to building high-level platforms of opening up. The province should be more active in the development of new land-sea transit routes for the western region, give full play to Xi'an's role as a transportation hub of the China-Europe freight train services, speed up the formation of the transportation corridors to countries in Central, South and West Asia, and play a bigger role in connecting the domestic and international markets. More should be done to foster a world-class business environment that is market-based, law-based and internationalized to attract higher quality inbound investment.

Xi noted that the theoretical study program on the study and implementation of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is underway throughout the Party. Party organizations at all levels must make in-depth and solid efforts in this regard, and achieve substantial results in nurturing minds, gaining wisdom, improving Party conduct, and motivating work through the program. Enhancing one's wisdom through learning means to gain a clear understanding of the law, direction, methods, and wisdom from the Party's scientific theories, draw greatest strengths from the Party, and acquire the skills of invigorating the Party and the country. First, it is essential to improve political ability. We need to be good at thinking, making decisions, and handling things from the viewpoint of the Party and the people and from the overall work of the Party and the country. We need to be adept at grasping the regularity of various complicated problems, the tendency from emerging ones, and the inevitability from occasional ones. We should also be skilled at navigating a complex situation, pooling social forces, and guarding against political risks. It is necessary to shoulder the political responsibilities entrusted by the Party and the people, and truly become sober-minded in politics. Second, it is crucial to improve thinking ability. We need to translate the worldview, methodology, positions, viewpoints and methods of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into our own scientific thinking and methods, and use them as the master key to studying and solving problems. We need to improve our ability in strategic, dialectical, systematic, innovative, historical, legal, and bottom-line thinking. We should be good at grasping the nature of things, the law of development, the key to our work, and the measure of policies, so as to make our work more scientific, farsighted, proactive, and creative. Third, efforts should be made to strengthen ability for practical work. We should carry forward the fine style of study that combines theory with practice, fully grasp the practical requirements of new concepts, ideas and strategies of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and strengthen our ability to push forward high-quality development, serve the people, and prevent and defuse risks. We should strengthen the courage and ability to carry on fight, redouble our efforts to enhance the ability to prevent risks, rise to challenges, and withstand pressure, fill our gap in knowledge, address inadequacies in quality and strengthen weak areas in capability in a timely manner, so as to become more professional. Shaanxi must make good use of its own historical and revolutionary cultural resources and further carry forward the great founding spirit of the Party and the Yan'an Spirit to ensure that the theoretical study program yields concrete results.

Xi concerns himself about the ecological conservation and the protection of cultural relics in the Yellow River Basin. On the afternoon of May 16th, on his way to Shaanxi, Xi took off the train at Yuncheng, and visited Yuncheng Museum and Yuncheng Salt Lake, accompanied by Lan Fo'an, secretary of the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee, and Jin Xiangjun, governor of Shanxi Province. Yuncheng, which gets its name from a phrase "a town transporting salt" in Chinese, has a long and enduring history and abundant cultural resources. At the museum, Xi visited exhibitions themed on topics including the origin of the Chinese civilization, collection of rarities, and the history of the local salt industry, to learn in details about the origins of mankind and the development of early history of the Chinese civilization in Yuncheng. He was also briefed on the formation, development and historical evolution of Yuncheng Salt Lake. Xi stressed that the museum has a great collection of precious cultural relics or even "national treasures", which prove that China's history includes million years of humanity, 10,000 years of culture, and more than 5,000 years of civilization. We must further advance the national research project on tracing the origins of Chinese civilization and extend research into its history. Requirements of the CPC Central Committee in this regard must be conscientiously implemented: give top priority to protection, strengthen management, tap values and make good use of cultural relics to let them play their own role in cultural development. As such, the protection and utilization of cultural relics and the preservation and inheritance of cultural heritage will be strengthened.

Yuncheng Salt Lake has a mining history of more than 4,600 years, with profound cultural heritage and significant historical value. In recent years, local authority has insisted on giving priority to the protection and green development, implemented the policy of "returning salt to the lake", and stopped all industrial production within the protection area of the lake, in a bid to promote industrial transformation and upgrading according to local conditions. Xi Jinping listened to relevant briefings based on display panels and exhibits, and inspected the landscape of Salt Lake. He pointed out that the ecological value and function of the salt lake are becoming increasingly important. Work must be done to coordinate its protection and utilization to ensure that the unique cultural and historical resources and ecological resources of the lake can be passed on from generation to generation, gradually restore its ecological function, and better protect its historical and cultural value. He emphasized that the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin is a major strategic decision made by the CPC Central Committee from the perspective of sustainable development of the Chinese nation and Chinese civilization. All provinces and regions within the Yellow River Basin must take the protection of the ecology of the Yellow River Basin as the baseline in planning development and promoting high-quality development, and must refrain from doing things that are not conducive to the ecological protection of the Yellow River Basin.

Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting and accompanied Xi on his inspection trip.

The leading officials of the relevant central Party and government departments were on the inspection tour and attended the meeting, leading officials of the Third Central Steering Group for theoretical study program were also present at the meeting.