Economy and poverty alleviation discussed at CPC meeting

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Chinese top leadership held a meeting on Friday to discuss the current economic situation and poverty alleviation work in the past year, calling on efforts to deepen economic reform, stimulate economic vitality and eradicate poverty.

China should continue to pursue high-quality growth, deepen supply-side reform and implement a proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy, the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee said.

The Political Bureau recognized the economic growth in the first quarter of this year but said there are many difficulties and challenges amid a complicated international environment and domestic downward pressure.

Earlier this year, China reported that its economic growth reached 6.5 percent in the first quarter.

Workers carrying a monocrystalline silicon stick at a factory in Ningjin County, north China's Hebei Province, on February 24, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

The Political Bureau said main macroeconomic indicators have remained in a reasonable growth range, market confidence has been improved and new driving forces have continued to grow.

The Chinese economy meets the challenges of a complicated international environment and domestic downward pressure, it said.

It urged more efforts to deepen reform and opening-up and supply-side reform in order to ensure economic stability. It also called on efforts to control economic and financial risks, and further stimulate market vitality and implement stable fiscal and monetary policies.

It is important to promote high-quality development of manufacture industry and expand emerging industries to support steady growth, it said. It is important to provide financial supports to private and small and medium-sized companies and push them to upgrade, it added.

Problems in Poverty Alleviation Campaigns

Chinese President Xi Jinping cadres in charge of poverty alleviation work and village doctors in Huaxi Village of Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County, southwest China's Chongqing, April 15, 2019. /Xinhua Photo

Major problems like responsibility attribution, standard set-up, and bureaucracy were raised during the meeting. Officials within the bureau have called for more solid efforts to consolidate the poverty alleviation process.

Last year marked the first year of the three-year campaign, which looks to eradicate extreme poverty by 2020; and it was a good start, according to the meeting.

For those rural counties and villages that have successfully been dragged out of poverty, officials have worried that they may go back down under the poverty line if continued efforts take out right away. They stressed that relevant policies need to stay for a while, and called for continuing supervision and assistance to the areas.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, presided over the meeting.

(Cover: Properties under construction and for pre-sale are pictured in the Daya Bay district in Huizhou, Guangdong province, on August 11, 2017. /Reuters Photo)