Xi also highlights Sichuan-Tibet Railway project at meeting

President Xi Jinping stressed on Wednesday the need to improve the country's capability to guard against and deal with natural disasters and advance the planning and building of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark while presiding over the third meeting of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs. Xi is head of the committee.

In his speech, Xi required the establishment of an efficient and scientific system to better prepare for and respond to natural disasters to provide protection for the lives and assets of the people and national security.

Improving the ability to handle natural disasters is a must for the country to achieve the two centenary goals and fulfill the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation, according to a statement released after the meeting.

It is not only a big issue related to the safety of the people's lives and assets as well as national security, but also a big test for the Party's governance capability, the statement said.

People-centered philosophy should be the guiding principle for the work of improving capabilities related to natural disasters, it said.

The work should put ecology as a top priority and build a harmonious relationship for mankind and nature, the statement said.

Guarding against natural disasters should be the main task for the improvement work, and the risks and damages of such disasters should be minimized, the statement added.

Speaking on the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, Xi said it has great significance for national stability and the economic and social development of Tibet to plan and build the railway, adding that the project must be processed well.

The importance of work on the railway comes from the demand for promoting ethnic unity, safeguarding national unity and strengthening the stability of the border, the statement said.

The railway project is a major part of the top leadership's strategy to build a better Tibet, according to the statement.

The meeting also highlighted the importance of scientific planning, technological support, environmental protection and finance in the process of planning and building the railway, the statement said.