BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- As the world's largest developing country, it is no surprise that China is still home to a large number of poor people, but the country is making every effort to help them.

Just over 70 million people live below the poverty line in China. That means an annual income under 2,300 yuan (about 370 U.S. dollars). Even in China's countryside, in underdeveloped western and central areas, a dollar a day does not go far. Just over 7 percent of the rural population is officially poor.

Dragging 70 million out of poverty will be no mean feat. The issue is not just one of government policy, but the task relies on every official at every level genuinely caring about the hardship that people are suffering, Liu Yongfu, head of the State Council leading group on poverty alleviation, told Xinhua in an interview.

China's economic miracle has seen living conditions improve dramatically over the past 30 or so years, with more than 700 million people lifted out of poverty between 1978 and 2014, making China the first country to meet the United Nations' target of halving its poverty stricken population.

Despite these successes, poverty remains a tough issue, impacting on every aspect of life, particularly health and education. It's not just money these people live without. Bad roads, electricity shortages, ramshackle residences along with second-rate education and medical services, are singled out by Liu as major predicaments of the poor in China.

In 2014, 430,000 experienced government officials were sent in 125,000 teams to impoverished villages and have become "champions" of poverty fighting, he said.

Last year, the central treasury spent 43.3 billion yuan on poverty relief, compared with 22.2 billion in 2010. Though the poverty relief fund has nearly doubled in four years, the effects are far below expectations: only 12 million people crept over the official poverty line last year, compared with 43 million in 2011.