I would like to extend my warm congratulations on the symposium by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, or OIV, held in Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

The Helan Mountains east piedmont soil is a natural for wine grapes and an internationally recognized golden belt to grow fine wine grapes. The Ningxia government's decision to accelerate the development of the grape industry has a far-reaching influence on the autonomous region's development.

As part of its campaign to develop the grape industry, the government established the Development Bureau for Grape and Flower Industry, the first of its kind in the country. It has also organized China's first international grape association, the Helan Mountains East Piedmont International Grape and Wine Federation, and promulgated the country's first legislation on protecting wine-producing regions.