| Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, November 14, 2001 |
Chinese Leaders Donate Clothes, Money to Needy People |
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An office has been set up in the compound occupied by China's central leadership to collect donations of clothing and cash for people in disaster-hit and poverty-stricken areas. Chinese leaders have taken the lead in donating items for the needy.
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An office has been set up in the compound occupied by China's central leadership to collect donations of clothing and cash for people in disaster-hit and poverty-stricken areas.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin and other senior Party and government leaders have taken the lead in donating items for the needy.
Located in Zhongnanhai, the office, set up by departments of the general offices of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, has received 19,020 garments and 63,213.4 yuan ( about 7,600 U.S. dollars) in donations.
It has been five years since President Jiang called for regular donations from residents of large and medium-sized cities for people in poverty and disaster-struck areas.
To date, the civil affairs departments in charge of disaster relief have received 600 million items of clothing and 720 million yuan (about 87 million U.S. dollars), which has been distributed to millions of poor people.
China has lifted about 220 million people out of poverty since 1978 thanks to fast economic development and growing government assistance.
About 30 million people still live under the poverty line in China, mostly in remote mountainous areas with extremely harsh living and working conditions.
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