LHASA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has vowed to pull 140,000 people out of poverty in 2018, local authorities said Wednesday.

The region plans to remove 2,000 villages and 25 counties from the country's list of impoverished areas.

From 2016 to 2020, Tibet is projected to invest over 200 billion yuan (30 billion U.S. dollars) to eradicate poverty, with 90 percent of the investment going to infrastructure and poverty-relief projects in the poorest areas.

The region will also accelerate the pace of relocation to help more residents live a better life.

China aims to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020.