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President Xi's Liaoning visit: Touch of warmth, reflection of commitment

Xin Ge

 , Updated 21:23, 25-Jan-2025

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Chinese President Xi Jinping greets people at a food market in Shenyang, capital city of northeast China's Liaoning Province, January 23, 2025. /Xinhua
Chinese President Xi Jinping greets people at a food market in Shenyang, capital city of northeast China's Liaoning Province, January 23, 2025. /Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping greets people at a food market in Shenyang, capital city of northeast China's Liaoning Province, January 23, 2025. /Xinhua

Editor's note: Xin Ge, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a research fellow at the Institute of Public Policy and Governance, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE), and a chair associate professor at the School of Public Economics and Administration, SUFE. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent tour of Liaoning Province in northeast China to inspect disaster recovery, urban renewal and industrial advancement work marks his first domestic inspection in 2025.

It is also the 13th consecutive year he has visited grassroots communities ahead of the Spring Festival, the most important festival for the Chinese. In addition, it is his fourth visit to Liaoning since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012.

On January 22, Xi went to Zhujiagou, a village in Huludao, one of the hardest-hit cities during the summer floods in Liaoning in 2024 caused by unprecedented torrential downpours.

In quick response, the village committee helped build new homes for the severely affected households in a higher area. The new housing was tailored to each family's size and needs and in less than two months, a new Zhujiagou Village emerged, providing nearly 200 disaster-stricken people with a warm home before the onset of winter.

Xi inspected the progress of post-disaster restoration, going to the homes of the relocated villagers and asking about the quality of the new houses as well as the provisions for their daily life.

People's well-being has always been Xi's major concern. Much before the flood, during the 2013 National People's Congress, he emphasized the importance of ensuring and improving people's livelihoods while participating in the deliberations of the delegation from Liaoning. He also urged them to pay special attention to those facing difficulties, and delivering tangible benefits to the people. The swift relocation after the flood reflects the "people-first" philosophy and the commitment to enhancing their sense of security.

On January 23, Xi visited the Chang'an community in Shenyang, Liaoning's capital, to see how public services were being optimized to improve residents' quality of life. Since 2023, the community has been renovating old residential areas. All 13 residential buildings and public areas within the community have been upgraded. Besides, initiatives promoting quality employment, education, health services, and elderly care have been started to support the residents.

Xi also visited a cold rolling mill of the Bensteel Group in Benxi, another city in Liaoning, to get insights into the company's efforts to accelerate transformation and upgrading and promote high-quality development.

President Xi Jinping inspects the cold rolling mill of the Bensteel Group in Benxi, northeast China's Liaoning Province, on January 23, 2025. /Xinhua
President Xi Jinping inspects the cold rolling mill of the Bensteel Group in Benxi, northeast China's Liaoning Province, on January 23, 2025. /Xinhua

President Xi Jinping inspects the cold rolling mill of the Bensteel Group in Benxi, northeast China's Liaoning Province, on January 23, 2025. /Xinhua

Xi has consistently emphasized revitalizing the old industrial base in northeast China. During his 2013 inspection tour in Liaoning, he said regions, industries, and enterprises must leverage market mechanisms, embrace reforms, and pursue innovation to turn crises into opportunities.

In September 2023, when chairing a key meeting on revitalization of northeast China, he said, "To push for the full revitalization of northeast China, the real economy is the foundation, sci-tech innovation is the key, and industrial upgrading is the direction."

Through a series of structural adjustment programs, Liaoning has reversed its fall in the national economic output ranking and its prolonged growth lag compared to the national average.

Right before the Spring Festival, a time of warmth and togetherness in Chinese culture, Xi's engagement with grassroots communities underscores his commitment to enhancing people's livelihoods and high-quality development. As he had said on a tour three years ago, the aspirations for a moderately prosperous society, a strong nation, and the greater Chinese Dream ultimately converge upon people's "dream of happiness." The CPC's endeavors are aimed at realizing this collective aspiration.

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