Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of action over words during his first domestic inspection tour of 2015, which occurred in the Yunnan Province from Jan. 16-21.
The national leader spoke in terms of the poverty-relief work that is urgently required in China's ethnic areas, which remain underdeveloped, and where issues have been exacerbated by the recovery process in the wake of a natural disaster.
The president referred to the "new normal" of the Chinese economy--a term he coined in the first half of last year--stating that the revised economic status "has not changed China's international status as the world's largest developing country.
According to media reports, 92 million people still live in poverty throughout the nation.
President Xi provided details in regard to the sense of urgency that emerged from the tour, explaining that China has "only five to six years left" in the process of completing the construction of "a moderately prosperous society in all respects."
Additionally, some analysts have perceived President Xi's Yunnan visit as an indication of the central leadership's greater emphasis upon the disadvantaged segments of Chinese society.
A visit to Ludian County formed the initial part of the president's travel itinerary. The county fell victim to a 6.5-magnitude earthquake in Aug. 2014, with the epicenter of the natural disaster located in Longtoushan Town. The leader inspected post-quake reconstruction efforts, calling for the construction of buildings that can remain resilient against any future earthquakes.
The residents of a temporary camp for people displaced by the earthquake greeted President Xi with warmth, and, in response, he assured his hosts, who are living in tents, that:
"The disaster destroyed your homes, but the [Communist] Party [of China] and the government will help you build more beautiful ones."
President Xi also expressed a commitment to improve the standard of living in the region, and said that investment in rural areas would remain a priority for the government.