BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping's inspection trip to north China's Shanxi Province on Monday came only about 10 days ahead of the annual sessions of the top legislature and the top political advisory body.

The tight schedule indicates the leadership is racing against time to accelerate economic and social development and ensure the country's development goals, particularly the elimination of absolute poverty, is achieved.

The first leg of Xi's Shanxi tour was to an organic daylily farm in Yunzhou District of Datong City and a village in the city's Xiping Township where Xi learned about poverty alleviation, a subject Xi has always cared about deeply.

The Shanxi tour followed Xi's visit to eastern Zhejiang Province and northwestern Shaanxi Province in late March and April.

The inspection trips, all within only one and a half months, covered key aspects, including poverty alleviation, environmental protection, resumption of work and production, historical and cultural heritage protection as well as opening-up. All these efforts are crucial to promoting all-round social and economic progress.

China has set 2020 as the target year to eliminate absolute poverty and complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

With only less than eight months remaining before the deadline, the task has been made more difficult by the coronavirus impact. Not a minute should be wasted even if the virus battle is ongoing.

For this reason, Xi's calls and moves have inspired the country to mobilize all its resources to achieve the unshakable goal. A glimpse of China's progress could give the world more reasons to be confident in meeting challenges posed by poverty, public health crisis and economic uncertainty.