Zhao Jiangtao:

Thank you, Mr. Han. Now, Iet's invite Mr. Liu to give an introduction.

Liu Yongfu:

Good morning, media friends. Thank you for your continuous attention and support for China's poverty alleviation undertakings. Welcome to today's press conference.

The Chinese people will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the PRC founding in a few days. Over the past 70 years, the CPC has led the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in eradicating absolute poverty in the rural areas of the world's most populous developing country, creating a miracle of poverty reduction in national history.

In the past, the old and weak China were mired in poverty, and people overall lived in dire misery. The CPC and the Chinese government, guided by the principle of putting the people first, making use of the political advantages of the CPC's leadership and the socialist system, and regarding the eradication of poverty, made improving people's livelihood and achieving common prosperity as our unswerving goals. First, we focused on economic development, carrying out reform and opening up, and maintaining sound and steady economic development, laying a solid foundation for large-scale poverty reduction. Second, we included poverty alleviation and rural development into China's overall development strategy, formulate special plans after identifying poverty reduction targets and standards for different stages, and carried out a large-scale poverty alleviation program. Third, we have always upheld development-oriented policies in poverty alleviation, seeking to improve the working and living conditions of people in poverty-stricken areas, enhancing their capacity to increase production and their incomes by their own efforts. Fourth, we have adhered to a precise plan offering benefits for all, including special social groups. While promoting the development of rural areas, agriculture and farmers livelihood, we have given special care to poor people, carried out preferential and categorized policies, and helped all in real need. Fifth, we have mobilized participation by the whole society, and built a system that spans regions, government departments and organizations and involves all to address the challenges of poverty.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in particular, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, has taken poverty alleviation as a primary task and a defining indicator for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and launched a battle against poverty throughout society. We identified the targets and tasks for poverty alleviation, that is, by 2020, there must be no longer be any rural people living below the current poverty line; there must be no more impoverished counties, and regional poverty must be eradicated. We identified the basic strategy for targeted poverty alleviation, introduced a series of unconventional policies and measures, and established a policy system designed to achieve our objectives. Under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping, Party secretaries at province, city, county, township and village levels have vigorously pushed forward the work on alleviating poverty; indeed, the whole Party has worked closely together to overcome difficulties. Over the past six years and more, we made decisive progress, with major historic achievements in poverty alleviation.

First, we made remarkable progress in targeted poverty alleviation. We reduced the population of rural people living in poverty substantially, and we will eliminate absolute poverty in rural areas soon. According to China's current standard, from 2013 to 2018, the number of people living in poverty in China's rural areas was reduced by over 80 million, meaning that the number of people lifted out of poverty amounted to more than 12 million each year. The poverty incidence rate across the nation dropped from 10.2% to 1.7%. Of the 832 identified impoverished counties, 436 have been lifted out of poverty.

Second, poor areas have taken on a new look now and lead economic and social development with poverty alleviation efforts. Poor areas have increased their investment in infrastructure and public services substantially, enhanced development capacity significantly, rapidly developed featured industries, improved the ecological environment dramatically, and improved the poor people's life with steady steps.

Third, China has greatly helped accelerate the pace of global poverty reduction through its own poverty reduction efforts, and contributed solutions to the global poverty reduction cause. As the first developing country to have achieved the U.N. millennium development goals, China planned and organized large-scale poverty alleviation and development, implemented strategies of targeted poverty alleviation in particular, figured out with a path of poverty alleviation with Chinese characteristics, and provided Chinese wisdom and solutions for global poverty reduction.

It is estimated that, under the current standard, about 95% of the poor people in China will be lifted out of poverty and over 90% of the poor counties will eliminate poverty by the end of this year. The Chinese nation will then eliminate absolute poverty in 2020. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, we will make every effort to overcome difficulties, win the battle against poverty, and usher in the historic moment of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

Thank you, Mr. Liu. Now let's move into the Q&A session. You are welcome to raise questions focused on the theme of this press conference.