Xi Jinping stresses expediting building Shanghai into modern socialist intl metropolis

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to speed up building Shanghai into a modern, socialist and international metropolis by focusing on the construction of international centers of economy, finance, trade, shipping and sci-tech innovation.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour in Shanghai that ran from Tuesday to Saturday.

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During the inspection, Xi emphasized the need for the city to fully implement the new development concept and the importance of focusing on promoting high-quality development and constructing a new development pattern.

He stressed the significance of technological innovation as a guide, reform and opening-up as the driving force, major national strategies as guidance, and modernizing urban governance as a safeguard.

The Chinese president urged Shanghai to accelerate building itself into a modern, socialist and international metropolis with global influence, and play a leading and exemplary role in advancing Chinese modernization.

On Friday morning, Xi also heard reports on the work of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and the Shanghai municipal government.

He told officials that accelerating the construction of the "five centers" is an important mission entrusted to Shanghai by the CPC Central Committee and Shanghai should take this as the main direction of development. The "five centers" refer to the financial center, trade center, innovation center, consumer center and globalization center that Shanghai is developing.

Stressing that Shanghai is the frontier of China's reform and opening-up and an international metropolis deeply linked to the world, Xi said Shanghai should deepen reform and opening-up comprehensively from a higher starting point to enhance its development momentum and competitiveness.

Xi urged efforts to make Shanghai "a city for the people," calling for fully mobilizing the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the people and integrating whole-process people's democracy into modernization of urban governance.

The Chinese president also called on efforts to enhance the country's cultural soft power and emphasized the necessity of upholding the Party's leadership.

Relying on people

Xi on Sunday morning also visited a memorial hall of the New Fourth Army in Yancheng City, east China's Jiangsu Province, on his way back to Beijing. The New Fourth Army was a force led by the Communist Party of China during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

Xi pointed out that the history of the New Fourth Army fully demonstrates that the people's hearts and minds determine the choice of history.

"This country is its people; the people are the country," said Xi.

He called for carrying forward the New Fourth Army's spirits of not being afraid of difficulties and dangers, and being brave in struggle and victory.

Xi also highlighted the necessity of closely relying on the people to push forward the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation.

(With input from Xinhua)