Xi calls for efforts to win 'three tough battles' in Inner Mongolia
Updated 23:01, 16-Jul-2019
CGTN
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Chinese President Xi Jinping called for efforts to enhance ethnic unity and win "three tough battles" during an inspection tour in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday and Tuesday. 

President Xi, who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, visited a community, a museum, a forestry farm and a village in Chifeng city. He also toured Inner Mongolia University and the Department of Natural Resources of the autonomous region in Hohhot city, talking with residents and officials during each tour. 

China is fighting "three tough battles" against risk, poverty and pollution to deliver a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020, Xi said. He urged the authorities of the autonomous region to improve people's livelihoods by tackling problems in areas such as education, employment, social security, healthcare and housing to "resolutely win the 'three tough battles.'"

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the Chifeng Museum in Chifeng city, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, July 15, 2019. /Xinhua Photo

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the Chifeng Museum in Chifeng city, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, July 15, 2019. /Xinhua Photo

'Model of ethnic autonomy and unity'

During his inspection in Chifeng on Monday, Xi watched a troupe of Ulan Muqir rehearsing. Ulan Muqir is the Mongolian name of a local traveling cultural troupe established in 1957 that goes from one grazing site to another, performing for herdsmen in some of the region's most remote areas.  

He called on the troupe to promote literary and artistic innovation and continue to produce excellent works, adding that it is important to support and promote artistic activities in the process of building spiritual civilization in the new era. 

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At Maanshan Village in Chifeng's Harqin Banner, the president hailed Inner Mongolia as a "model of ethnic autonomy and unity." 

"No ethnic group can be absent from the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and no ethnic group can be absent from the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," he told Party and government officials of the autonomous region in Hohhot on Tuesday. 

Eco-friendly, high-quality development

While inspecting the Maanshan Forestry Farm, Xi reiterated the concept that "clear waters and green mountains are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver."

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Noting that building an "ecological security barrier" in the north of China is a strategic task, he said the autonomous region must adhere to a path that prioritizes ecological protection and green development. 

During his meeting with local officials at the end of the two-day tour, Xi stressed the need to continue economic reform and improve the economic structure in the context of increasing international uncertainties and external challenges. 

"Efforts to transform the economic development mode, optimize the economic structure and promote high-quality development have entered crucial stages," he said, urging local officials to achieve poverty reduction goals on time and win the "three tough battles."