Photo: Li Hao/GT

China will align efforts to consolidate and expand the achievements in poverty alleviation with efforts to promote rural revitalization, including setting a five-year transition period for counties lifted out of poverty with major assistance policies, will remain unchanged, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said when delivering the government work report on behalf of the State Council to China's top legislature for deliberation. 

Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the opening meeting of the fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress, held at the Great Hall of the People on Friday in Beijing. 

"We attained a complete victory in the fight against poverty, and we scored decisive achievements in securing a full victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects… All remaining poor rural residents, totaling 5.51 million in early 2020, were lifted from poverty, as were all of China's remaining 52 poor counties," Premier Li concluded the achievements on poverty alleviation in the last year when delivering the government report.

China's success in poverty alleviation has been recognized by the international community. Its entire rural poor population, 55.75 million in number, was lifted out of poverty, including more than 9.6 million registered poor people who were relocated from inhospitable areas; and regional poverty was successfully eradicated. 

"The daunting task we set ourselves to eliminate absolute poverty has thus been successfully accomplished," Li said.

This does not mean the end of China's poverty alleviation mission. Premier Li noted in the government report that China will set up a robust long-term mechanism for consolidating and expanding the achievements of the battle against poverty and raise the overall performance of development in areas that have cast off poverty. 

For example, for counties lifted out of poverty, a five-year transition period will apply from the date poverty in their locality was eradicated, during which major assistance policies will remain unchanged for them. Continuous monitoring and assistance mechanisms will be enhanced to prevent populations that have been lifted out of poverty from falling back into it again. 

Other measures include ensuring stable employment for populations out of poverty, offering skills training, further developing industries in areas that are no longer in poverty, providing follow-up support for those who have been relocated from inhospitable areas, and enhancing regular and tiered assistance of various types to low-income rural residents. These steps will prevent a large-scale re-emergence of poverty. 

Premier Li also noted that the mechanisms for collaboration between the eastern and western regions and for providing paired assistance will remain in place and be improved. Central departments and organizations, as well as non-governmental actors, will continue to play their roles in providing assistance. All these efforts will help those areas which have been lifted out of poverty enhance their capacity for sustaining self-development.