Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for high-quality community services for residents during his inspection of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, went to Ningxia after wrapping up his inspection in Qinghai Province also in northwest China.
On Wednesday afternoon, Xi visited the Great Wall Garden Residential Community, a multi-ethnic residential community in Jinfeng District in the region's capital city of Yinchuan.
At the service center of the community, Xi learned about how Party organizations at the primary level perform their duties and how community services are provided to facilitate people's daily life and cultural activities.
At the activity room of the service center, Xi watched residents practice paper-cutting and dancing, and talked with residents.
Underscoring the key role of communities in serving residents, Xi stressed strengthening primary-level Party organizations and maintaining a stable team of warm-hearted community workers.
He called for thorough, detailed and concrete efforts to address urgent needs and concerns of the residents, and deliver high-quality services to the people.
Xi then visited the home of Zhao Shoucheng, a resident of the community, and talked with his family members about their situation of employment, income, medical insurance reimbursement and children's education.
Learning that residents are satisfied with the work of the local Party committee and government in community building, especially in renovating old residential areas, enriching residents' cultural life and facilitating exchanges and interactions among people from different ethnic groups, Xi said the fundamental purpose of the Party is to serve the people wholeheartedly.
Xi said he is concerned about the well-being of every family of all ethnic groups, and extended best wishes to the Zhao family.
At the community square, Xi spoke to the residents who gathered there to greet him. Xi said he was delighted to visit Ningxia again and meet with local people of various ethnic groups.
The Chinese nation is a big family, Xi said, calling for continued efforts to foster a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and pool strength from all sectors to advance Chinese modernization.
Xi calls for high-quality community services for residents
The United Nations has warned that Sudan is facing the worst levels of acute food insecurity ever recorded by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
The UN warning was issued in a report released on Thursday on its official website.
"Fourteen months into the conflict, Sudan is facing the worst levels of acute food insecurity ever recorded by IPC in the country. Over half the population (25.6 million people) face crisis or worse conditions(IPC Phase 3 or above)," said Rein Paulsen, Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
This includes 755,000 people facing "catastrophe" food insecurity (IPC Phase 5) in 10 states including Greater Darfur (all five states), South and North Kordofan, Blue Nile, Al Jazirah, and Khartoum. Another 8.5 million people, 18 percent of the population, are in "emergency" (IPC Phase 4).
"And there is a risk of famine in 14 areas, localities and clusters affecting both residents, internally displaced people, and refugees. And those 14 locations are found in greater than for Greater Kordofan, Al Jazeera states, and some hotspots in Khartoum," said Paulsen.
He noted that if the conflict escalates further, it will further disrupt "mobility, humanitarian assistance, access to markets and livelihood activities."
Sudan has been embroiled in a deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since mid-April 2023, which has claimed more than 16,650 lives, according to the Sudan situation report updated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on June 24.
This latest IPC analysis marks a stark and rapid deterioration of the food security situation compared to the previous IPC update published in December 2023. Six months later, the number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity has increased by 45 percent, including a 74-percent increase in IPC Phase 4, while the population in IPC Phase 5 (catastrophe) has surged from zero to 755,000 in the period from June to September 2024. Compared to the same time last year, the number of people classified in IPC Phase 3 or above has increased by over 50 percent.
The conflict has not only triggered mass displacement and disruption of supply routes, market systems and agricultural production, it has also severely limited access to essential humanitarian assistance, exacerbating an already dire situation.
The impact of conflict extends beyond food insecurity. Reports from various states highlight highly dysfunctional health services, water contamination and poor sanitation and hygiene conditions. Increased morbidity to water-borne diseases is expected to further reduce the absorption capacity of the little food available for children and adults.
Consequently, cases of acute malnutrition, which have already reached extremely high levels in some areas will likely increase. Moreover, the fast-approaching rainy season and expected floods will likely affect the agricultural season through the spread of pests and plant diseases, according to the report.
UN warns worst food crisis in Sudan
