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Chinese President Xi Jinping learns about implementation of poverty alleviation measures at the home of villager Lyu Youjin in Wushi Township of Huzhu Tu Autonomous County in Haidong, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Aug. 23, 2016. Xi made an inspection tour in Qinghai from Aug. 22 to 24. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

XINING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has declared that protection of the ecosystem is "the most important foundation" of sustainable development.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, was speaking during a tour of the northwestern province of Qinghai Monday through Wednesday.

Describing the region's ecosystem as its "biggest merit, responsibility and potential," Xi said that measures must be taken to ensure that economic, social and environmental development proceed hand-in-hand.

Speaking with local officials, the President spoke of his desire for Qinghai to be a model of eco-friendly development, circular economy and ethnic solidarity.

Maintaining healthy development of the economy is a major task for the whole party, said Xi. He urged using new concepts to guide development and making efforts to address structural and mechanism issues and problems that hinder development.

Supply-side structural reform is the main thread for economic development and economic work at present and a period to come, said Xi,urging efforts to optimize the supply of products and services and raise the overall quality and efficiency of the supply chain.

Qinghai shoulders the important responsibility to protect the Sanjiangyuan region (the source of China's three major rivers), Xi said.

He ordered coordinated implementation of projects such as energy conservation and emission reduction, beautiful cities and countryside, natural reserves, ecological protection around the Qinghai Lake and desertification control, and gradually returning arable land to grassland and forest.

During the tour, Xi visited the Qinghai environmental monitoring center.

At the center, he watched real-time monitoring of the source of the Yellow River, a Qinghai-Tibet Railway bridge and other locations, while chatting with center staff.

Speaking through the video phone system, Xi urged local people of various ethnic groups to jointly protect their lakes, grassland, rivers and wildlife.

Visiting a solar power company in Xining, Xi saw a solar cell production line and asked about various aspects of the production process.

Speaking highly of Qinghai's accomplishments in clean energy, he said good planning, policy support and guidance are vital to the orderly development of the photovoltaic power industry.

He asked state-owned enterprises to take the lead in innovation, produce more and better products and play a bigger role in leading innovation-driven development.

Xi visited Chaerhan Salt Lake in Qaidam Basin, which is China's biggest salt lake. The region has been making use of the lake to develop its salination industry since the 1950s.

On the lakeside wharf, Xi was briefed on the development of circular economy in the area. He said the Chaerhan boasts the most important of Qinghai's resources and a strategic resource for the whole country.

Xi spoke of the need to balance exploitation and protection of resources and to create industrial processes, techniques and skills featuring low consumption, fewer emmissions and high returns.

In Changjiangyuan Village, Xi was warmly welcomed by Tibetan villagers who moved there in 2004, away from the sources of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers. Protection of the sources of the three rivers involve the relocation of people formerly residing in those places.

In a villager's house, Xi was delighted to see that the villagers' standard of living was relatively high, enjoying stable income, basic health insurance and old-age insurance.

POVERTY RELIEF

At newly-built Banyan Village in Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, Xi met families relocated from another area.

In the new house of a Tu ethnic family, Xi watched a video of the old village where they had lived and said that relocation is an effective way to relieve poverty.

He stressed the importance of listening to what the villagers want and letting them participate in planning their new villages.

"The building of new villages should be integrated with measures to promote production and employment, improve basic public services and protect ethnic, regional and cultural features and styles," Xi said.

Poverty relief is not easy, Xi said, urging party and government officials at all levels to be firm and precise in their efforts to help people shake off poverty.

"Ethnic unity is a lifeline for people of all ethnic groups," Xi said, calling for guiding people of various ethnic groups to live with each other in harmony, maintain solidarity and seek progress together.

On religious affairs, Xi said efforts should be made to guide religions to adapt to socialism with Chinese characteristics and make religions in the country follow a sinicized direction.

Xi urged Party organizations at all levels to strictly follow the rules in all circumstances, with leading officials setting the example for others.

During the visit, Xi, who is chairman of the Central Military Commission, also met with military officers stationed in Qinghai.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the new house of villager Lyu Youzhang in Wushi Township of Huzhu Tu Autonomous County in Haidong, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Aug. 23, 2016. Xi made an inspection tour in Qinghai from Aug. 22 to 24. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Chinese President Xi Jinping poses for a group photo with villagers in a village of Wushi Township of Huzhu Tu Autonomous County in Haidong, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Aug. 23, 2016. Xi made an inspection tour in Qinghai from Aug. 22 to 24. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

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Chinese President Xi Jinping visits a salt lake dock of Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Group Co., Ltd. in northwest China's Qinghai Province, Aug. 22, 2016. Xi made an inspection tour in Qinghai from Aug. 22 to 24. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the construction site of a new village in Wushi Township of Huzhu Tu Autonomous County in Haidong, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Aug. 23, 2016. Xi made an inspection tour in Qinghai from Aug. 22 to 24. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

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Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with villagers in Wushi Township of Huzhu Tu Autonomous County in Haidong, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Aug. 23, 2016. Xi made an inspection tour in Qinghai from Aug. 22 to 24. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Chinese President Xi Jinping learns about the use of running water at the new house of villager Lyu Youzhang in Wushi Township of Huzhu Tu Autonomous County in Haidong, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Aug. 23, 2016. Xi made an inspection tour in Qinghai from Aug. 22 to 24. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd L) visits a workshop of solar battery at a company in northwest China's Qinghai Province, Aug. 23, 2016. Xi made an inspection tour in Qinghai from Aug. 22 to 24. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R, front) visits the provincial ecological environmental monitoring center in northwest China's Qinghai Province, Aug. 23, 2016. Xi made an inspection tour in Qinghai from Aug. 22 to 24. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

Chinese President Xi Jinping receives barley wine from villagers in a village of Golmud in the Mongolian-Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Haixi, northwest China's Qinghai Province, Aug. 22, 2016. Xi made an inspection tour in Qinghai from Aug. 22 to 24. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)