Xi stresses prosperity in border areas

President hails role of veteran Party officials from Yunnan province

President Xi Jinping has underlined the importance of promoting the common prosperity of all ethnic groups across the country, and called for efforts to enhance prosperity and stability in border areas.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark on Thursday in a reply letter to 10 veteran Party chiefs from border villages of Cangyuan Wa autonomous county, Yunnan province.

In a recent letter to Xi, the Party secretaries at the grassroots level talked about what the people of the Wa ethnic group have achieved in shaking off poverty as well as the better life they are living, expressing their firm determination to follow the Party from one generation to another in order to build a more beautiful and prosperous homeland.

Calling them veteran Party secretaries who have been living and working in border areas, Xi said they know better than others how important it is to stabilize border areas and achieve prosperity there.

Poverty elimination is a significant step toward a happy life, Xi said, and continued efforts should be made to step up rural vitalization and facilitate people's prosperity in border areas.

Xi said he is happy to learn from their letter about the great changes that the poverty-relief efforts have brought to locals, and he also feels the sincere feelings of the people of the Wa ethnic group toward the Party and the country.

He encouraged the veteran Party chiefs to play an exemplary role in leading villagers in building a beautiful homeland, maintaining ethnic unity and safeguarding territorial integrity.

Cangyuan Wa autonomous county, which borders Myanmar, is home to the people of the Wa ethnic group, and has a population of around 160,000.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, locals' living conditions have improved markedly, thanks to the nation's poverty-relief efforts, particularly in terms of housing, drinking water, healthcare and children's education. More than 40,000 poverty-stricken people in 67 villages had been lifted out of poverty by the end of 2019.

Xi has been attaching great importance to people's living conditions in border and rural areas. On inspection tours nationwide, he has always spent some time visiting villages, learning about their livelihoods.

In addition, he has also used letters to communicate with people from all walks of life, including farmers, primary-level officials, students, healthcare workers and scientists. Observers said that the communications between Xi and ordinary people through letters help bring him and the people much closer together, demonstrate the charm of his leadership and also send positive energy to the whole of society.