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E-mail China.org.cn, July 5, 2024
Xinhua News Agency:
Ms. Wang just mentioned the five major tasks to fulfill. I understand that these tasks actually represent the strategic positioning of Inner Mongolia stipulated by the central government. Could you please elaborate on the progress of these tasks? Thank you.
Wang Lixia:
Thank you. I will answer this question.
Eying the big picture of national development, General Secretary Xi Jinping defined Inner Mongolia's strategic position by assigning it five major tasks. These tasks represent our important duties and missions. By fulfilling these tasks, we aim to ensure national security in five key areas: food security, energy security, industrial security, ecological security, and border security.
As an important ecological barrier for northern China, Inner Mongolia's eco-environment is crucial for the livelihoods and prosperity of local residents and affects the ecological security of China's northern, northeastern, and northwestern regions, as well as the entire country. In recent years, we have continuously prioritized ecological conservation. We have implemented measures such as subsidizing "no-grazing" periods across the vast grasslands. We banned commercial logging in the Greater Khingan Mountains, turning former lumberjacks into forest rangers. We stabilized the boundaries of key deserts, stopping shifting sand dunes from advancing further. Over the past 10 years, Inner Mongolia has led the nation in afforestation, grass planting, and combating desertification. Grassland vegetation coverage has reached 45%, and over 60 million mu (40,000 square kilometers) of desertified and sandy land has been reclaimed. In the past, deserts encroached on human habitats, but the situation has been reversed, with former deserts now covered in greenery.
As a barrier ensuring the security and stability of China's northern border, Inner Mongolia shares over 4,200 kilometers of border with Russia and Mongolia, with border management areas covering 360,000 square kilometers. As the northern gate of the country, Inner Mongolia shoulders significant responsibilities for safeguarding national security and maintaining peace in the border regions. Over the years, we have thoroughly implemented actions to boost the economies of border areas and raise local living standards. Now, residents thrive in beautiful border areas, and borderland stability and security have been enhanced.
As a major national base for energy and strategic resources, we have consistently prioritized national energy security. We are the country's leading supplier of coal and electricity. Last year, we successfully delivered 945 million metric tons of coal to 29 provincial-level regions. We transmitted 306.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to other regions across the country, tripling the annual power generation of the Three Gorges Dam. In particular, we supplied 23 billion cubic meters of natural gas to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, transmitting it over more than 700 kilometers. We also delivered 100 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity to the Hangzhou Asian Games, over a distance of more than 1,600 kilometers.
As an important production hub for agricultural and livestock products, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region is well-known for being the country's leading producer of beef, mutton, milk, and cashmere. For example, out of every 10 kilograms of beef in China, 1 kilogram is produced in Inner Mongolia; out of every 5 kilograms of mutton, 1 kilogram comes from there; and out of every 6 cups of milk, more than 1 cup is produced in Inner Mongolia. Additionally, half of the country's cashmere is sourced from Inner Mongolia. Moreover, Inner Mongolia is a major grain producer. It is one of the five provincial regions with over 100 million mu of arable land and has achieved a grain output exceeding 35 billion kilograms for five consecutive years, with more than half of this grain supplied to other parts of the country. Generally speaking, Inner Mongolia is China's leading producer of grain, meat, milk, and cashmere, and our mission is to produce more and higher-quality grain, meat, and milk for the country.
As a critical frontier for opening up to the north, Inner Mongolia has 20 ports open to other countries. Manzhouli, China's largest land port, handles 65% of China-Russia land trade, while Erenhot is the largest land port connecting to Mongolia. In recent years, we have actively participated in the Belt and Road Initiative and the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor. Last year, our total import and export volume grew by 30.4%, ranking third in the country. The total cargo volume through our ports exceeded 100 million metric tons, setting a new record for land ports along China's borders.
Thank you!
Xing Huina:
Next question, please.
