Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday called for efforts to win the final phase of the war on poverty by 2020. He made the remarks in his 2018 New Year Address, calling it a great mission for the Chinese nation and all humanity. China has set the goal of lifting all poor rural residents below the current standard out of poverty by 2020. “This will be the first time in thousands of years of Chinese history that extreme poverty has been eliminated,” Xi said.