BEIJING, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Hu Chunhua, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has called for all-out efforts to win the battle against poverty.

Hu, also chief of the State Council leading group of poverty alleviation and development, made the remarks when inspecting the leading group's office Thursday.

Hu asked for united efforts to be made to win the critical battle and make sure that poverty-reduction goals are met on time.

He urged officials to strengthen supervision and guidance over poverty alleviation work, especially in areas still in poverty as well as the 12 western provincial regions.

Work should also be done to rectify problems exposed during the inspections, he said.

Hu stressed that the leading group's office should serve as a pioneer in poverty-reduction work, coordinate efforts from different fronts and ensure the implementation of poverty-relief measures. Enditem