What they say

Five officials shared their stories of poverty alleviation through the improvement of transportation infrastructure in China's rural and financially-strapped areas at a news conference held by the State Council Information Office on Wednesday.

Xu Wenqiang, director of the Tibet autonomous region's transportation department

I was dispatched by the Ministry of Transport in 2017 to support the local development of the Tibet autonomous region to make sure no one would be left behind in the country's building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects due to weak transportation conditions. During the past four years, I spent at least 10 months in Tibet every year and traveled more than 180,000 kilometers in rural areas. I visited hundreds of Tibetan families to understand the real situation of their poverty and figure out their needs and hopes. I was supposed to return to Beijing a year ago, but I happily embraced the ministry's decision to extend my tenure for three more years. For me, it's a recognition and also an award.