In 2018, another 10 million poverty-stricken were lifted out of poverty: Xi.

Beijing -- On the eve of the New Year, Chinese President Xi Jinping in a televised address wished his nation and the world the best of luck saying, 'As we ring in the New Year, let's embrace 2019 with confidence and expectation.'

President Xi said , 'Time stops for no one, and the seasons keep changing.' As we usher in 2019, I'd like to extend my New Year wishes from Beijing to you all!

The year of 2018 has been a full year, and we approached it with steadfast determination. Despite all sorts of risks and challenges, we pushed our economy towards high-quality development, sped up the replacement of the old drivers of growth, and kept the major economic indicators within a reasonable range. We made headway in our efforts to protect our blue sky, and to defend our rivers and soil from pollution. And we intensified our efforts to improve people's wellbeing and steadily raise our standard of living. National strategies such as the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area were steadfastly implemented. During my inspection tours of the country, I was pleased to see the lush green banks of the Yangtze River, the ocean of rice sprouting from the 1,100-hectare pilot plot at Jiansanjiang Ranch, the lively Shenzhen Qianhai Harbor, the bustling Shanghai Zhangjiang High-tech Park, and the bridge that brings together Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macao. These achievements are all thanks to the hard work of people from all of China's ethnic groups, who are the trail-blazers of the new era.

Over the past year, our country has continued to change thanks to home-grown initiatives in manufacturing, innovation, and construction. We successfully launched the Chang'e-4 lunar probe; our second aircraft carrier set sail on its maiden voyage; our domestically-made large amphibious aircraft completed its first water take-off and landing; and the BeiDou Satellite Navigation System has started to provide global service. Let me take this opportunity to salute every scientist, every engineer, and every nation builder who made these achievements possible.

We have also made great stride in our poverty alleviation efforts in the past year. Another 125 poor counties and 10 million poverty-stricken rural residents were lifted out of poverty. We reduced the prices of 17 cancer-fighting drugs, and included them on our medical insurance list...