Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Mianyang, a city in quake-hit southwestern Sichuan Province, after more than two hours of flight from Beijing on Friday morning.

During the flight, Hu opened a map, and carefully assessed the quake damage and the progress of relief work with others aboard the plane.

Hu said that after several days of endeavor, the relief work has been comprehensively launched and is proceeding in an "forceful, orderly and effective" way.

However, he said, "The challenge is still daunting, the task is still arduous and the time pressing."

Although the "golden relief time", which refers to the 72 hours after an earthquake occurs, has already passed, he said, "Saving lives is still the top priority of our work."

At the same time, he said, "we need to make greater efforts in treating the injured, restoring the transportation, telecommunications and power supply infrastructure in quake-stricken areas and ensure basic living conditions for local residents."

Hu stressed, "Currently, quake relief work has entered into the most crucial phase. We must make every effort, race against time and overcome all difficulties to achieve the final victory of the relief efforts."

At 10:30 a.m. Friday, Hu's plane landed at the airport of Mianyang City.

In the meeting room of the airport, Hu, together with Premier Wen Jiabao who has been in the disaster-hit area since Monday, vice premier Hui Liangyu and vice chairman of Central Military Commission Guo Boxiong, made research and deployment on the quake-relief work.

After that, Hu rushed to Beichuan county by automobile.

Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), flew to the quake-hit area to console the victims and inspect the rescue and relief work.

Hu will also visit the troops and medical workers who are engaged in around-the-clock relief efforts in the quake areas.

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, the confirmed death toll in Sichuan alone was 19,509 and more than 50,000 people were feared dead.

Also Friday morning, Premier Wen Jiabao told Chinese media on a train in Sichuan that saving lives remained the top priority almost four days after the quake.

"We won't give up if there is even the slightest hope of finding more survivors," he said.

Wen said the quake was "the biggest and most destructive since new China was founded in 1949," and the quick response had helped reduce casualties to the greatest extent.

The premier vowed "to pour out whatever the country is capable of" to combat the massive disaster and fight till the end.

To move forward with relief work, the country needs confidence, resolution, perseverance and forceful organization work, he said.

"We believe that so long as we rely on the people, the military and the civilians unite together, the officials and the general public unite together, and together we stand, we will surely win this anti-quake battle," Wen stressed.

(Xinhua News Agency May 16, 2008)