Xi: People must always come first

At NPC closing, president says China closer to great dream of national rejuvenation, will safeguard sovereignty

Civil servants nationwide, no matter how high-ranking they are, must put the people at the highest place of their hearts, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while addressing the closing ceremony of the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislature, in Beijing.

“The people are the creators of history, and the people are real heroes,” Xi told the NPC deputies.

Xi expressed gratitude to the NPC deputies and the whole nation for electing him as Chinese president during the session. He pledged to be loyal to the country and the people, spare no efforts to fulfill his duties, be diligent at work, accept supervision from the people, and never let them down.

The president urged the country’s public servants to work hard for the interests and happiness of the people all the time.

The government must address the problems that are of most concern of the people and let all Chinese people enjoy happiness and glory in the process of national rejuvenation, Xi said.

Mentioning that the Chinese people have an innovative spirit, Xi said that spirit has become an important driving force for the country’s development.

Xi praised the hard-working spirit of Chinese people, saying that as long as they keep working hard, they will achieve the great goal of creating a better life.

Xi highlighted the importance of ethnic unity, saying that China’s current developmental achievements are made with the joint efforts of people of all ethnic groups.

The Chinese people now are getting closer to the great dream of national rejuvenation than at any period of China’s history, Xi said.

The president pledged greater efforts and more concrete measures to deepen overall reform, boost opening-up, push high-quality growth and build a modern economic system.

Xi also vowed to take more measures to improve the people’s livelihoods, reduce poverty, protect the environment, build world-class military forces and safeguard national unity.

It’s the Chinese people’s common wish to safeguard national sovereignty and unity, and all splitting actions and tricks will be denounced by the people and punished by history, Xi said.

Chinese people have firm determination, full confidence and sufficient capability to defeat all splitting actions, he added.

XU JINGXING / CHINA DAILY President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, makes a speech at the closing ceremony of the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress in Beijing on Tuesday.