Targeted poverty alleviation has been a major topic at this year's Two Sessions. Senior officials have held a press conference about their efforts. Minister of the State Council Leading Group Office for Poverty Alleviation and Development, Liu Yongfu, explains.

LIU YONGFU MINISTER OF STATE COUNCIL LEADING GROUP OFFICE FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND DEVELOPMENT "Under the leadership of the central government, we need to further improve our mechanisms and policy-making processes. And we need to innovate all of these efforts and measures to further the efforts of poverty alleviation in the poor areas. We need to improve our working styles and methodologies. And we need to train the officials and leaders working in the sector."

In the past five years, the country has spent more than 280 billion yuan, or 44 billion US dollars, in fighting poverty and has reduced its poor population by 68 million. But these achievements are not enough for Chinese leaders, as they aim to put an end to poverty by 2020. One of the toughest challenges facing the country is how to make minority groups more prosperous while keeping their tradition and culture intact. The groups still have more than 14 million people living under the poverty line, or around one-third of the country's poverty-stricken population. This is actually an area where targeted policies could play a bigger role, as each group has its own tradition and culture.