President Xi Jinping learns about local poverty alleviation efforts at a tea plantation in Pingli county, Shaanxi province, on Tuesday, the second day of his inspection tour of the province. [Photo by Zhai Jianlan / Xinhua]

President urges Shaanxi officials to be guardians of Qinling Mountains

President Xi Jinping inspected poverty alleviation work in Shaanxi province on Tuesday amid the nation's efforts to overcome the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic and improve people's livelihoods.

Xi visited a tea plantation in Jiangjiaping, a village in Pingli county, on Tuesday morning. The plantation, covering 80 hectares, has helped more than 300 poverty-stricken people to increase their annual income by an average of 1,100 yuan ($155).

He also visited a community, a township hospital and a primary school on Tuesday, the second day of his inspection tour.

On Monday afternoon, Xi visited the village of Jinmi in Zhashui county, where he talked with villagers who were preparing for livestreaming marketing of their agricultural products. Located in the Qinling Mountains, the village has shaken off poverty in recent years by developing the black fungus industry.

E-commerce is an emerging business with great potential, which can promote sales of agricultural products, help rural residents shake off poverty and facilitate rural vitalization, Xi said.

China has set the goal of lifting all of the country's people out of poverty by the end this year. The number of impoverished people had been brought down from 98.99 million in 2012 to 5.51 million by the end of last year, according to the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development.

Despite the pandemic, China is determined to realize the goal of reducing the nation's impoverished population to zero this year.

Early last month, Xi presided over a symposium on poverty alleviation, during which he stressed overcoming the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak to secure a "complete" victory in the fight against poverty.

It is the president's second domestic trip within three weeks following his inspection tour of Zhejiang province.

While visiting Niubeiliang National Nature Reserve in the Qinling Mountains on Monday, Xi instructed local officials to be guardians of the ecological environment of the region, which is the natural boundary between the country's north and south.

"Illegal construction in the Qinling Mountains is a big lesson," he said. "From now on, any official working in Shaanxi should above all learn this lesson, avoid repeating the same mistake and work as a guardian of the ecological environment of the mountains."

The Qinling Mountains are home to a huge variety of plants and rare wildlife such as giant pandas, golden monkeys and crested ibis.

Attaching great importance to the environmental protection of the Qinling Mountains, Xi gave instructions on tackling the illegal construction of villas in the area, demanding a thorough investigation into the persistent problem of illegal construction and the failure of officials concerned to comply with orders from the central authorities.

Since July 2018, more than 1,100 illegal villas at the northern foothills of the Qinling range have been demolished and a number of officials were investigated.

Xinhua contributed to this story.