Xi visits poverty-stricken areas in Sichuan Province

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Chinese President Xi Jinping Sunday visited the homes of impoverished villagers of the Yi ethnic group who live deep in the Daliang Mountains of Zhaojue County, Sichuan Province in southwest China, on Sunday.

Xi, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, asked the villagers about their lives and discussed poverty alleviation with local officials and villagers.

More than 700 million Chinese have been lifted out of poverty since the start of China’s reform and opening up in 1978.

China has secured decisive progress in the battle against poverty, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a report at the opening session of the 19th CPC National Congress in October.

In the report, Xi said nearly 60 million people have come out of poverty from 2013 to 2016 with the poverty rate being lowered from about 10 percent to below four percent.

The Chinese government defines poverty as having an income of less than 2,600 yuan (377 US dollars) per year. The plan also puts an emphasis on the principle of “targeted” poverty relief, which means China will take precise, targeted and differentiated measures to ensure effective poverty reduction.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visits to impoverished regions /CGTN Photo

Since 2013, China has introduced 126 poverty alleviation and development plans, including selecting more capable and suitable officials to guide poverty relief work at different levels, said Liu Yongfu, director of the State Council's Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, at a press conference in October.

The central and provincial governments have ramped up investment and allotted more than 15 billion US dollars to improving people's well-being for the first time since last year, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).