“Alleviating poverty”

since China introduced the policy of reform and opening up in the late 1970s, great economic and social progress has been made, leading to significant improvement in the overall standards of living. As a result, several hundred million people have been lifted out of poverty, accounting for more than 70 percent of poverty reduction worldwide during the same period. Much remains to be done, however, to eliminate the still substantial pockets of poverty, given the fact that China, a country with a large population, is still in the primary stage of socialism, and its diverse regions show varying levels of development.

At the end of 2015, China’s 55.75 million rural residents still lived below the national poverty line, that is, they had an annual net income of less than 2,300 yuan ($333) per capita. China’s poverty alleviation initiatives are now facing some of the most daunting challenges.

Against such a backdrop, China launched in 2014 its first National Poverty Alleviation Day, which is to be marked on October 17 each year. China will allocate more resources for poverty relief and mobilize all sectors of society to join the fight against poverty. Development efforts aimed specifically at reducing poverty will be stepped up, so as to put an early end to poverty. Effective measures will be implemented to steadily improve access to adequate food and daily necessities, compulsory education, basic medical services and housing.