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Poverty rates remain high in Xinjiang: CPPCC advisor
Source:Global Times Published: 2016-3-10 1:13:01
Poverty relief in some areas of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region will be one of the most difficult tasks of the next five years, as China seeks to raise the living standards of its remaining 50 million poor people nationwide, the country's former poverty alleviation head said Wednesday.
Some "special" types of poverty in Xinjiang - particularly those in southern Xinjiang, in the region's alpine areas and in areas along China's borders - are very difficult to overcome, Fan Xiaojian, a national political adviser and head of the advisory committee of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, told a press conference during the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Even though the poverty rate in Xinjiang decreased from 32 percent to 15.8 percent during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), it still remains relatively high, leaving Xinjiang with one of the highest poverty rates in China, Fan said.
The Xinjiang regional government said the region's poverty-stricken population has been reduced to 1.85 million thanks to industrial development, modern agriculture and urbanization, the Xin-hua News Agency reported in January.
The per capita annual income of Xinjiang farmers in counties classified as the most impoverished increased to 6,690 yuan ($1,080) last year from 3,543 yuan in 2011, Xinhua reported.
A total of 110 billion yuan will be handed out in Xinjiang in 2016 to help fund and guide 100 projects related to employment, housing, agriculture and poverty-relief, Xinhua reported.
Meanwhile, Fan said that 50 million people will be lifted out of poverty across the country by 2020. He noted that this mission will be the toughest challenge of China's poverty alleviation campaign, both because China is experiencing downward economic pressure and because the remaining 50 million impoverished people have suffered severe poverty for a long time.
As China transitions to the "new normal" of slower economic growth, poverty relief is an important way to increase domestic demand and boost growth, according to a statement issued after a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in November 2015, Xinhua reported.
"Precision" poverty relief - a targeted approach to fight poverty in specific conditions - should be the order of the day, the statement said.
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Some "special" types of poverty in Xinjiang - particularly those in southern Xinjiang, in the region's alpine areas and in areas along China's borders - are very difficult to overcome, Fan Xiaojian, a national political adviser and head of the advisory committee of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, told a press conference during the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Even though the poverty rate in Xinjiang decreased from 32 percent to 15.8 percent during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), it still remains relatively high, leaving Xinjiang with one of the highest poverty rates in China, Fan said.
The Xinjiang regional government said the region's poverty-stricken population has been reduced to 1.85 million thanks to industrial development, modern agriculture and urbanization, the Xin-hua News Agency reported in January.
The per capita annual income of Xinjiang farmers in counties classified as the most impoverished increased to 6,690 yuan ($1,080) last year from 3,543 yuan in 2011, Xinhua reported.
A total of 110 billion yuan will be handed out in Xinjiang in 2016 to help fund and guide 100 projects related to employment, housing, agriculture and poverty-relief, Xinhua reported.
Meanwhile, Fan said that 50 million people will be lifted out of poverty across the country by 2020. He noted that this mission will be the toughest challenge of China's poverty alleviation campaign, both because China is experiencing downward economic pressure and because the remaining 50 million impoverished people have suffered severe poverty for a long time.
As China transitions to the "new normal" of slower economic growth, poverty relief is an important way to increase domestic demand and boost growth, according to a statement issued after a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in November 2015, Xinhua reported.
"Precision" poverty relief - a targeted approach to fight poverty in specific conditions - should be the order of the day, the statement said.
Read more in Special Coverage: