President Xi Jinping expects China to achieve its 2020 poverty relief target, according to a document issued yesterday by the Communist Party of China.

Xi made the comment while addressing the Fifth Plenary Session of 18th CPC Central Committee, which convened last week to map out China’s 13th Five-Year Plan for 2016-20.

At the end of last year, China had 70.2 million people living below the poverty line in rural areas — set at 2,300 yuan (US$363) per annum based on 2010 rates. By 2020, China plans to lift all of its people out of poverty, the document said.

“Eliminating poverty in rural areas is the most difficult challenge in building a moderately prosperous society,” Xi said.

The government plans poverty-relief policies and improved infrastructure in rural areas, including roads, access to water, power and the Internet, the document said.

The CPC also pledged to improve education, health care and public services, and to establish a social services system for “left-behind” children, women and the elderly.

While increasing fiscal expenditure on poverty relief, private investment and community groups will also be encouraged to join the campaign.

“If the government takes concrete and effective action, China can lift 10 million people out of poverty every year between 2016 and 2020,” Xi said.

“The social security system will cover the remaining 20 million poor people who are unfit to work, and they will receive financial aid to ensure they live above the poverty line,” he said.

China has made remarkable progress in poverty alleviation. It was the first developing country to meet its Millennium Development Goals target of reducing the population living in poverty by half ahead of this year’s deadline.

Xi also called for changes to the household registration system. Citing a national urbanization plan for the 2014-20 period, the document said that by 2020, about 45 percent of the registered population will live in urban areas.

In 2013, the rate was 36 percent. It is calculated that more than 16 million people will change their registered rural address to an urban address each year.At present, China has 750 million urban residents, including 250 million migrant workers who do not enjoy equal rights on education, employment, social security, medical care and housing as the registered population

The government plans to help 100 million migrants settle in cities and enjoy equal public services. Many of these will be rural students based in cities, soldiers serving there, people employed in urban regions and rural families who have been in cities for more than five years.

This will expand consumption, stabilize real estate markets and improve investment in urban infrastructure and public services, the document said.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)