China Headlines: Xi's war on poverty (3)

several black pigs, cattle and goats for every household. The senior villagers were very pleased, saying it was exactly what they wanted," Xi said.

Back when Xi served as deputy Party chief and governor of Fujian Province, he proposed "making real efforts to help the really poor."

Since he became the Party's leader in 2012, he has insisted on seeing "real poverty" every time he has reached an impoverished region, such as Fuping county in Hebei Province, Huayuan county in Hunan Province and Dongxiang Autonomous County in Gansu Province.

"In some localities, people have the misconception that poverty relief goes hand in hand with industrial projects. [But] in deep mountains and forests, where there are no professionals or market, and costs are high, it is not easy to develop industrial projects," Xi said.

Poverty relief is all about solving real problems, according to Xi.

He stressed the importance of education and guaranteeing basic public facilities, such as roads, water and power.

He also suggested teaching those in poverty "how to fish" in accordance with their actual conditions and capabilities.

"The elderly can raise chickens, ducks and sheep. Give them some fine breeds, guide them on proper feeding, and offer some financial support. For young people, it is important to help them find jobs. [We] train them, and instruct them to find employment outside their homes," Xi said.

He has warned against aiming too high, saying that tasks should be accomplished one by one.

Xi has called for saving children from poverty, in particular, by granting them access to education.

"In poor regions, improving education should be a priority. Children should be given a fair chance at the starting point of their lives. Give them opportunities to be educated, to go to college. Then in eight to ten years, they will have the means to become well-off, or at least to feed themselves," Xi said.

He has demanded more financial support be given to education in remote and rural areas, and that the development of compulsory education receives due attention.

Teachers could be sent on a rotating basis to poor mountainous areas, Xi said, suggesting offering teachers better pay and greater opportunities for promotion.

To move people out of poverty, Xi believes, it is crucial to instill in them an aspiration to live better.

From 1988 to 1990, Xi was secretary of the CPC Ningde Prefectural Committee in Fujian.

"I saw Ningde as a weak bird that needed to make an early start, work with perseverance and not feel ashamed of lagging behind. Work incessantly and it will eventually take on a new look," Xi said.

Some of Xi's speeches in Ningde were later compiled into a book titled "Out of Poverty," which Xi said could serve as a guideline.

"For those in poverty, a lack of morale will get them nowhere," Xi said.

"In the battle against poverty, no corruption, fraudulence or blind pursuit of political achievements can be allowed," Xi said, adding that secretaries of the CPC county committees or county magistrates should work at the very frontline and make concrete efforts.

Only with a down-to-earth style and concrete efforts can cadres fulfill the promises of eliminating poverty made to the people and to the history, according to Xi.

Xi has stressed that the task of poverty relief, which tops the Party and the country's work agenda, must be assigned to the most capable cadres. Secretaries of the CPC county committees and county magistrates could only be transferred to other positions after their poverty relief work is proved.

He has highlighted the importance of inspection and supervision in poverty relief, stressing that the effect of poverty elimination work of one place should be evaluated by officials from other places to ensure impartiality and the assessment result would be an important yardstick for cadre promotion. Endit