“贵州”故名思义，意即“宝贵的地方”。把汉字“贵”拆开，可以解读为“中国的一个宝贝”。回顾历史，两千多年前，穿越云贵高原的“南方丝绸之路”、“茶马古道”，将产自中国的丝绸、茶叶源源不断运往南亚大陆，成为当时中国同世界互联互通的重要通道。

　　今天的贵州，依然是中国的“一方宝地”。近年来，贵州依托“一带一路”连接线的区位优势，成为中国新一轮改革开放的排头兵，走出了一条民族团结、生态优先、创新发展的新路。我认为，贵州之“贵”，集中体现在以下四个方面：

Guizhou in the Chinese language means "precious province". The character "Gui" is composed of elements that are interpreted as "a treasure of China". Guizhou has certainly lived up to its name.

Two thousand years ago, the "Southern Silk Road" and the "Ancient Tea-Horse Trail" on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau were important routes connecting China with the rest of the world. Via these routes, Chinese silk and tea found their way into South Asian subcontinent. 

Today, this "precious province" is leveraging its strategic location on the Belt and Road routes.

It has become a pioneer in China's new round of reform and opening up. 

It is where different ethnic groups live in harmony.

It gives priority to the preservation of the eco-system.

And its development is driven by innovation.

Let me give you four reasons why Guizhou is "precious":

　　首先，贵州是改革开放的缩影。推动区域协调发展，是中国深化改革、扩大开放的重要目标之一。随着中国全方位对外开放和“一带一路”建设向纵深发展，贵州独特优势和发展潜能不断释放。近年来，贵州综合实力显著提升，经济增速连续5年位居中国第二，2017年居全国第一位，GDP增速达10.2%。

　　第二，贵州是精准扶贫的典范。作为中国脱贫攻坚战的主战场，贵州实施“大扶贫战略行动”，创新精准扶贫机制和举措，脱贫成效位居中国各省前列。2012年至2017年，贵州贫困人口减少近800万，相当于整个大伦敦地区的人口。

First, Guizhou is an epitome of China's reform and opening up.

An important goal of deeper reform and further open-up in China is promoting coordinated development between different regions. Guizhou's achievements testify to the attainment of this goal.

As China opens up on all fronts and deepens the Belt and Road development, Guizhou is showing unique strengths and huge potential. In recent years, Guizhou has significantly improved its comprehensive strengths. It had been one of the top two fastest growing provinces in China for five years in a row. And in 2017 it led the country in GDP growth rate with an increase of 10.2% .

Second, Guizhou is a model for targeted poverty alleviation.

Guizhou is the main battlefield in China's fight against poverty. To win this battle, Guizhou has launched a massive strategic plan to reduce poverty. This includes new mechanisms and measures to achieve targeted poverty alleviation.

The result is encouraging. Guizhou has become one of the most successful provinces in poverty reduction. From 2012 to 2017, nearly eight million people, about the size of Greater London's population, have been lifted out of poverty.