■We will improve public services and facilities in rural areas.

We will step up the development of rural infrastructure. An additional 200,000 kilometers of rural roads will be built or upgraded. In towns, townships, and incorporated villages, where conditions allow, efforts should be stepped up to build paved roads and provide access to bus services. We will act promptly to launch a new round of efforts to upgrade rural power grids, and our goal is to ensure a stable and reliable supply of power to all rural areas and all electric pump sets on rural flat lands within the next two years. We will build on past progress to make further advances in providing access to safe drinking water. We will encourage the introduction of e-commerce into rural areas. We will work hard to improve rural living environments, building an even more livable and beautiful countryside.

■We will combat poverty.

This year, we will help more than ten million rural residents lift themselves out of poverty, including over two million poor residents who are to be relocated from inhospitable areas, and continue to rebuild the dilapidated housing of poor rural households. Central government funds for poverty alleviation efforts will be increased by 43.4%. In poor counties, various funds for rural development will be integrated. We will take targeted measures to alleviate and eliminate poverty in light of local conditions. We will channel significant energy into cultivating business operations with distinctive local features in support of employment and business development.We will construct infrastructure such as roads, water and power supply, and Internet access, and work to strengthen the ability of contiguous poor areas and persons in need to achieve development. National programs aimed at providing people with policy support and promoting people’s well being will be weighted toward poor areas. We will give stronger support to targeted poor areas, encourage the eastern region to help in the alleviation of poverty in the western region, and support nongovernmental participation in combatting poverty.Poverty reduction is a must, governments at all levels have made the pledge, and it must be accomplished both qualitatively and quantitatively within the time frame set.