As political advisers and lawmakers gather in Beijing for the Two Sessions - China’s most important political meetings, a key topic of discussion this year is how the country can achieve its goal of lifting all impoverished people in rural areas out of poverty by 2020.
When attending a panel discussion with deputies to the National People's Congress from Gansu province, President Xi Jinping called for perseverance in the fight against poverty, with only two years remaining for the country to meet its goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2020.
The Chinese President and general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee said that "There should be no retreat until a complete victory is won.”
Official figures show that over the past 40 years, China has lifted more than 700 million rural residents out of poverty. To put that into perspective, that’s almost the same population as the US, Canada, Mexico and Brazil combined!
Over the course of six years alone, China has lifted over 80 million rural people out of poverty, reducing the rural population living below the poverty line from nearly 100 million in 2012 to just 16.6 million last year.
The Chinese government has vowed to reduce the population of those living in poverty by 10 million in 2019. It’s a daunting task for a developing country whose per capita GDP stands only in the middle of the world rankings.
The standard for poverty reduction is to ensure that people no longer need to worry about food and clothing while enjoying access to compulsory education, basic medical care and safe housing.
The president warned officials against formalism and bureaucracy in poverty alleviation work, and he said they should not cheat in reporting their progress in poverty reduction.
Xi Jinping instructed Party committees and governments at all levels to shoulder their responsibilities and implement the strategy of tailored measures for poverty alleviation.
At a press briefing on March 7 in Beijing, Liu Yongfu, director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, said 85 percent of Chinese people living below the poverty line - a per capita annual income of 2,300 yuan ($342), have been lifted out of poverty.
China remains full of confidence that it will win the fight against poverty.
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