BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping's recent tour to north China's Shanxi Province demonstrates the country's resolve to complete building a moderately prosperous society in all respects as planned.

He underscored the importance of promoting high-quality transformation and development to make sure the goal is met, despite the headwinds brought by the COVID-19 epidemic.

China faces mounting pressure to meet the target this year against the backdrop of the coronavirus outbreak. But the country's leadership is committed to leading the whole nation to overcome the difficulties.

In Shanxi, Xi visited an organic daylily farm, a community of relocated villagers, a steel mill, the 1,500-year Yungang Grottoes, among other places, to learn about poverty reduction, work and production resumption, and ecological protection. These are key issues concerning whether China can meet the target on time.

The epidemic has brought negative impact to the nation's economy, as its gross domestic product contracted 6.8 percent year on year in the first quarter.

But challenges and opportunities always go hand in hand. The economic contraction would be short-lived and it will be only natural to see rebound in consumer spending, infrastructure investment and foreign trade as the epidemic eases. New growth points such as smart manufacturing and online retailing have showed positive momentum.

On its way to become a moderately prosperous society in all respects, China remains firm and will continue to advance.