President Jiang Inspects Birthplace of New China

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, April 04, 2002

President Jiang Inspects Birthplace of New China

Chinese President Jiang Zemin wrapped up his inspection tour of Shaanxi Province in northwest China Tuesday, calling on the people to keep up the revolutionary tradition in the current endeavor to build socialism with Chinese characteristics.

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Jiang called on to keep up the revolutionary tradition

China Tuesday, calling on the people to keep up the revolutionary tradition in the current endeavour to build socialism with Chinese characteristics.

In Yan'an City, dubbed the "cradle of the Chinese revolution" for being the seat of the Central Committee of the Chinese communist party (CPC) from 1935 to 1948, Jiang presided over a symposium on party building at the rural grass-roots units.

Jiang, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC, said that the CPC's activities in Yan'an occupied a very important position in both the Party's history and that of China's revolution.

For instance, the convening of the Seventh National Congress of the CPC 23 April -11 June 1945, not only pointed out the direction of the Party's development but also laid a solid political and ideological foundation for China to win the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945) and the New Democratic Revolution.

As the 16th National Congress of the CPC is to be held in the latter half of this year, Jiang said Party members at all levels should carefully sum up the Party's experiences and conscientiously implement the basic requirements of "Three Represents".

The CPC must seriously study issues on improving the people's living standards and map out effective measures to push forward the country's reform, opening and modernization drive, he said.

Jiang met with model workers

During his eight-day tour of the province, Jiang met with model workers Niu Yuqin, Shi Guangyin and a group of women who have made striking achievements in desert control.

Hearing that they have harnessed a waste area of 280 hectares in 28 years, Jiang extended high praise to them.

Jiang also met experts of the Shaanxi Sand Control Research Centre in Yulin City and learned about their work on air-seeding and trial of new species. He said it was their contribution that curbed the spread of desert areas.

Situated on the Loess Plateau, the northern part of Shaanxi Province used to suffer from severe soil erosion.

But after Jiang made a written instruction in August 1997 calling for "the reconstruction of a new northwestern China with beautiful mountains and rivers," obvious achievements have been made in local ecological construction.

Western development helps to shake off poverty

Jiang said ecological improvement in northwest China has a direct bearing on the living environment of all Chinese. The persistent efforts of the local people, generation after generation, would surely bring the world a more beautiful western China, he added.

As a severe drought struck the north of Shaanxi last year, Jiang went to Huangtumiao Village, Shenmu County, in that area on 27 March. He encouraged the local people to make the utmost efforts to overcome the temporary difficulties.

Jiang said that the Western Development Strategy is a great opportunity for Shaanxi to shake off poverty. The purpose of the strategy is to minimize the economic gap between western China and the developed eastern region.

He said that agriculture and the increase of peasants' incomes must be listed as the top priority of local governments' agenda, and promised that the central government would continue to increase its support for the western region.

As a number of measures and policies have already been outlined to boost local economies in the western region, an impending question facing all leading cadres is how to best use these favourable policies and realize sustainable development, he said.

Jiang encourages local people to make unremitting efforts

Jiang stressed that people in western China must stick to the traditional Chinese virtues of independence and fighting their way through hardships.

As the development of western China is a long process, he encouraged the local people to take the initiative and make unremitting efforts.

Jiang stressed that protecting the interests of the masses is the starting point as well as the final goal of the CPC's work. Helping the urban and rural poor get richer, especially those in old revolutionary bases like Yan'an, is an important task.

He said that despite the new historical conditions, maintaining flesh-and-blood ties with the masses of the people is still crucial to the country's stability and continuous development.

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