Xi stresses high-quality urban renewal in building modernized cities

China

Xi stresses high-quality urban renewal in building modernized cities

2026-07-17 13:46 Last Updated At：15:57

Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the need to fully embrace the people-centered philosophy of urban development for advancing high-quality urban renewal during his inspection trip to Shanghai.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspected Shanghai on Wednesday, where he visited a residential community and engaged in cordial talks with resident representatives, subdistrict officials, and community workers.

In the Bansongyuan Road Subdistrict of Huangpu District, Xi visited the Shimin Xincun residential community.

Four residential buildings in the community, originally built in the 1950s, have been renovated and upgraded with separate kitchens and private bathrooms in apartments as well as newly installed elevators, significantly improving residents' living conditions.

Xi visited the community's service center, where he was briefed on Shanghai's efforts to renovate old residential buildings lacking sanitary facilities, which put an end to the long-standing practice of carrying chamber pots in old urban neighborhoods, and renovate residential communities.

Xi stressed that it is essential to firmly establish and adopt a correct understanding of governance performance, respond to the people's needs and concerns, and formulate and implement effective policies and measures.

He called for sustained efforts to address the public concerns step by step and to continuously improve people's well-being.

At the home of retired resident Zhu Guoli, Xi looked closely at the living conditions and was delighted to hear that residents' life is now far more convenient.

Noting that every detail of the people's life matters, Xi said the well-being of the people is not only a family matter but also a matter of the state.

Xi then visited a community fresh produce stall to inspect the supply of fruits and vegetables.

Stressing communities as basic units of the urban governance system, Xi urged efforts to improve community governance and promote channeling resources, services, and management down to the community level, as well as continuously reduce burdens of community-level officials and work for their empowerment.

All these efforts should serve to wholeheartedly do good deeds for residents, deliver results for their well-being, and address their concerns, Xi emphasized.

Xi has long prioritized renovating aging urban areas and advancing urban development.

During his time working in Shanghai in 2007, Xi frequently visited residential communities and traditional neighborhoods to improve people's quality of life.

In 2019, Xi emphasized that the concept of people-centered development must be carried out in urban construction during an inspection trip in Shanghai, saying that "the cities are built by the people and are for the people".

At the Central Urban Work Conference last year, Xi highlighted the aim of building modern, people-centered cities that are innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, culturally vibrant and smart.

The State Council released in May an urban renewal plan, outlining key targets and policy measures for the country's urban renewal efforts during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

During this inspection tour in Shanghai, Xi stressed the need to fully embrace the people-centered philosophy of urban development and carry out the urban renewal initiatives to continuously enhance the people's sense of fulfillment, happiness and security.

Shanghai's pioneering efforts in carrying out urban renewal projects and tackling pressing livelihood challenges are emerging as a model for putting the concept of people-centered cities into practice.

Across China, other cities are also taking concrete actions to implement the people-centered philosophy of urban development, making urban environments more beautiful and residents' life more comfortable.

China's rise in global favorability driven by development, contributions: expert

China now holds a higher global favorability rating than the United States, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, a shift that a Chinese international relations expert attributes to China's development achievements and its contributions in global governance.

The poll, released on Wednesday, showed that among the 36 countries and territories surveyed, 25 hold more favorable views of China than the United States, including some U.S. allies.

In Canada, only 33 percent of respondents view the U.S. positively, down from 57 percent in 2023. Over that same period, favorable opinions of China among Canadians jumped from 14 percent to 44 percent.

Major European nations have also pivoted, with France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, and the Netherlands all showing more positive opinions toward China than toward the United States.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington welcomed the findings, saying the poll demonstrates that China’s governance achievements and development progress are widely recognized.

That view was echoed by Rong Ying, a chair professor at Sichuan University, who said the shifting of favorability reflects a growing global acknowledgment of China's constructive role.

"Change or the shift of that favorability between China and the United States demonstrate very much the way that China's development, the result of development, are recognized by more and more countries, not only those that have been surveyed, but the world at large. And they've also been very much in a way that with the growth, I mean the development of China, China's contributions, China's role in terms of development, global development and in terms of international peace and security has also been very proactive and widely recognized,” said Rong.

At the same time, Rong attributed the decline in U.S. favorability to what he described as American disruptive impact on global order.

“On the contrary, I think the reversal of the United States favorability is very much the result of the shift of U.S. role, which demonstrated unreliability and indeed, I think the disruption caused by the United States in terms of international order, in terms of regional peace and stability, and in terms of providing credibility and stability," said Rong.