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China vows to win battle against poverty

Xinhua, November 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

China reiterated its commitment to eliminating poverty on Monday as poverty relief is considered key to ensuring social stability and increasing domestic demand.

"The realization of our goal of building a 'moderately prosperous society' hinges partly on eliminating poverty, an endeavor which has entered the last-minute dash," according to a statement issued after a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting.

Poverty relief is required for the CPC to solidify its ruling foundation and the country to achieve long-term peace and stability, according to the statement.

As China enters the "new normal" of slower economic growth, poverty relief is an important way to increase domestic demand and boost growth, the statement said.

"Precision" poverty relief -- a targeted approach to fight poverty rather than the previous "one size fits all" approach -- should be the order of the day, the statement said. The leadership also called for parallel efforts in environmental protection, saying "the insistence on conserving lush hills should not waver."

China has vowed to lift all of its poor out of poverty by 2020, when its next Five-year Plan is completed. At the end of last year, China still had 70.17 million people in the countryside living below its poverty line of 2,300 yuan (376 U.S. dollars) in annual income by 2010 price standards.

By 2020, China will lift 50 million people out of poverty through support for industry, education, employment and health care, the statement on Monday said.

Dibao, a program guaranteeing subsistence, will cover the remaining 20 million poor people who are unfit to work, and they will receive financial aid to ensure they live above the poverty line.

The government will improve infrastructure in rural areas, encourage financial institutions to lend support and mobilize social assistance.

Local governments will face strict assessment of their performance in poverty elimination, and punishment will be meted out to those that embezzle money earmarked to fight poverty, according to the statement.