1st LD-Writethru: China to focus on targeted poverty reduction in next 3 years

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China will focus on targeted poverty reduction measures during the next three years, said a statement issued after the Central Economic Work Conference that ended Wednesday.

Targeted poverty reduction will be one of the "three tough battles" for the next three years as the country tries to secure a decisive victory in becoming a moderately prosperous society in all respects, according to the statement. The other two tough battles are major risk control and pollution prevention.

In the coming three years, the country will work to ensure the quality of poverty reduction efforts under current standards, and focus on helping special groups and eradicating abject poverty, it said.

The country will seek solid progress on major risk control, targeted poverty reduction and pollution prevention in 2018, according to the statement.

As of the end of 2016, there were 43.35 million Chinese living below the national poverty line. The country has pledged to eliminate poverty by 2020.

The three-day conference saw leaders analyze the country's economic performance in 2017 and make plans for 2018. Enditem