Special report: Strong Earthquake Jolts SW China

·President Hu on Saturday arrived in Shaanxi Province to oversee quake relief operations.
·Hu arrived in Hanzhong City, one of the worst-hit areas in Shaanxi during the devastating quake.
·Hu extended his greetings to children in the quake-hit regions ahead of the Children's Day.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (C) talks to quake survivors in Jinshansi Village, Guangping Town, Ningqiang County, Shaanxi Province, northwest China, May 31, 2008. Hu Jintao arrived in Shaanxi Province on Saturday morning to oversee quake relief operations. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    HANZHONG, Shaanxi, May 31 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao on Saturday morning arrived in northwest China's Shaanxi Province to oversee quake relief operations.

    After nearly two hours of flight from Beijing, Hu arrived in Hanzhong City, one of the worst-hit areas in Shaanxi during the devastating earthquake on May 12.

Chinese President Hu Jintao talks to a resident injured in the May 12 quake in Jinshansi Village, Guangping Town, Ningqiang County, Shaanxi Province, northwest China, May 31, 2008. Hu Jintao arrived in Shaanxi Province on Saturday morning to oversee quake relief operations.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Hu arrived at Ningqiang County and visited children studying in makeshift shelters.

    He extended his greetings to children in the quake-hit regions as well as children in the whole country ahead of the Children's Day which falls on June 1.

    A magnitude 5.7 aftershock hit Ningqiang around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, leaving at least one injured, 860 houses destroyed and 3,100 damaged, official statistics showed.

    Almost all the 340,000 locals in Ningqiang County were urged to live outdoors amid fear of possible aftershocks.

Chinese President: Keep development trends, guard social stability

Chinese President Hu Jintao (2nd L) talks with a worker during his inspection at the Langfang Yazhi Integrated House Co., Ltd. in Langfang, north China's Hebei Province, May 25, 2008.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    LANGFANG, Hebei, May 25 (Xinhua) -- China's top leader, Hu Jintao, has pledged to maintain sound development trends and safeguard social harmony and stability, stressing: "Focus on the current earthquake relief, on one hand, and economic and social development, on the other."

    The president and general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee made the call during his Sunday visit here to inspect two local companies that make pre-fabricated housing. Full story

President Hu asks tent factories to boost production

    BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao visited two tent manufacturers in east China's Zhejiang Province on Thursday, urging them to produce as many as possible to meet needs of the quake survivors.

    Since the massive earthquake destroyed many houses, and reconstruction would take time, tents would become makeshift shelters for homeless people in these regions. Full story

President Hu orders rescuers to reach every quake-hit village by "every available means"

    SHIFANG, Sichuan, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Sunday asked rescuers to use "every available means" to reach every village affected by the May 12 earthquake in southwest China.

    "We must try every method to send rescuers to every quake-hit village, instead of just working in towns and cities, since a large number of soldiers have entered the quake-hit regions," said Hu, while visiting Yinghua township of Shifang city, Sichuan Province. Full story

President Hu renews call to save lives in remote villages

    CHENGDU, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday urged rescue teams to reach remote villages that were battered by the strong earthquake in the southwestern Sichuan Province as soon as possible.

    Touring Wenchuan County, epicenter of Monday's 7.8-magnitude quake, Hu arrived at Xuankou, one of the three most severely damaged towns in the county, on Saturday morning.Full story