(Photo/fmprc.gov.cn)

The Spanish versions of Chinese President Xi Jinping's books "UP and Out of Poverty" and essay collection "Zhijiang Xin Yu" were released in Argentina on Nov. 20 local time.

About 150 Chinese and Argentine guests gathered at the Palace of the Argentine National Congress for the debut ceremony and a China-Argentina seminar on national governance.

Xi wrote the two books separately when he was serving as the then-secretary of Communist Party of China (CPC) Ningde Prefectural Committee, southeastern China's Fujian province, and the then-secretary of CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee.

The two works, about his exploration and thoughts on local governance, poverty eradication, and development, demonstrate Xi's development philosophy of constant innovation, tenets of serving the people, consistent spirit of reform, and broad mind.

Luis Alfonso Petri, deputy speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine National Congress, said in his speech delivered at the ceremony that the debut of President Xi's books in the Argentine capital is of great significance, because poverty control remains an important task for the Argentine's ruling party. He added that the books are an important reference for Argentina's national governance.

Carmen Polledo, President of Group of Parliamentary Friendship with China， Chamber of Argentine National Deputies, said the two books reflect the wisdom and patriotism of President Xi, adding that they are very important for Argentina and will enlighten the country regarding national governance and poverty alleviation.

China made decisive progress in targeted poverty alleviation from 2012 to 2017 during which the country's impoverished population was reduced by 68 million, and the poverty occurrence was cut to 3.1 percent from 10.2 percent in 2012 before the 18th National Congress of the CPC was held.

The Chinese representatives were warmly praised and applauded by the Argentine delegates when introducing the books. During the ceremony, the Chinese and Argentine guests together unveiled the books, and the Chinese representatives gave the books to Argentine senators as gifts.

The books were taken by enthusiastic Argentine guests after the ceremony. Teresa, a professor in the University of Buenos Aires, told People's Daily that she pays high attention to poverty, and China's globally recognized endeavors and achievements on poverty alleviation have set an example for Argentina.

During the seminar on China-Argentina national governance, the guests of the two countries carried out in-depth discussion on the two books. They agreed that the publication of Xi's books will help Spanish-speaking readers, including those in Argentina, to have a deeper understanding of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the course of China's reform and opening-up, and promote China-Argentina exchanges and communications on national governance.