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October 18, 2018

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Xi pushes for redoubled efforts as 85 counties taken off poverty list

Source: Xinhua | 00:01 UTC+8 October 18, 2018 | Print Edition

PRESIDENT Xi Jinping urged redoubled efforts to win the battle against poverty. He made the call yesterday on the occasion of China’s fifth National Poverty Relief Day, when he announced that another 85 counties had been taken off the list of impoverished areas.

China should stick to its target of eliminating poverty by 2020 and work harder for victory, Xi said when giving instructions on poverty reduction work.

The nation has gradually been eradicating poverty since the country’s reform and opening-up policy was launched in 1978, Xi said.

Continued hard work for 40 years has helped more than 700 million of the population shake off poverty and created miracles in human poverty reduction history, he added.

The extreme poverty that had existed for thousands of years is now close to being solved, Xi said, and China’s tough battle against poverty has entered its most crucial stage.

“What the most critical moment needs is the firm belief in success and determination to summon up courage.

“As long as all regions and departments take on responsibilities and conduct solid work, cadres and masses in poverty-stricken areas forge ahead and work hard, the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups unite as one and stick to the poverty relief target and work harder for a victory, we will win the tough battle against poverty on schedule,” Xi said.

Premier Li Keqiang said all regions and departments should intensify poverty alleviation through integration with the rural vitalization strategy, offering more support to deeply impoverished regions.

Li also called for stronger measures to help special groups in poverty-stricken areas, stricter supervision of poverty relief funds and improvement of poverty relief work evaluation and inspection.

The latest counties to be taken off the poverty list bring the total number of counties removed to 153 since a 2015 pledge to win the battle against poverty.

“This is an important achievement in the decisive stage of fighting the tough battle against poverty,” said Xia Gengsheng, deputy director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development.

The 85 counties, from nine provincial regions, were assessed by third-party institutions before their removal.

Seventy-four are in the country’s less-developed western regions while 25 are in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, more than any other provincial region.

A county is removed from the list if less than 2 percent of its population lives below the poverty line, defined by a per capita annual income of 2,300 yuan (around US$333) at 2010 prices. In the country’s western regions, a county will be removed if less than 3 percent of people live in poverty.

“Removing the 85 counties from the poverty list was in line with local economic and social development. The decision can stand tests and is recognized by the public,” Xia said.

He called for continued poverty relief policies and efforts in these counties.

Poverty reduction is high on the government’s agenda and various means have been adopted, including e-commerce, relocation and improved infrastructure.

Over the past five years, more than 68 million people had been lifted out of poverty, including 8.3 million relocated from inhospitable areas, and the poverty ratio has dropped from 10.2 to 3.1 percent, according to this year’s government work report.

The counties that have shaken off poverty have seen improvements in infrastructure, including water and electricity supplies, and decent growth in rural residents’ disposable income. Authorities plan to eliminate poverty in about 270 counties this year, 330 counties in 2019 and 70 in 2020, according to Xia.

China has pledged to increase policy support to eradicate abject poverty persisting in places such as the Tibet Autonomous Region and parts of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as well as the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu.

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