Within the next 20 months, China expects to be free of absolute poverty, with all of its rural residents above the poverty threshold. Some say the goals are lofty, especially with issues like China-US trade friction remaining unresolved. But today, one of those spearheading the nation's poverty alleviation efforts offered some hope. Here's CGTN's Wang Hui.

In four decades of reform and opening up, China has lifted more than 700 million people in rural areas out of poverty.

A trend the Central Government says must continue.

The nation aims to get all of its rural poor completely out of poverty by the end of next year.

2018 saw 14 million rise above current poverty standards - just shy of half those still struggling the year before.

In order to meet the 2020 goal, the government plans to eradicate poverty for more than 10 million people this year.

Liu Yongfu of China's State Council specified steps to take toward reaching that goal.

LIU YONGFU, DIRECTOR LEADING GROUP OFFICE OF POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND DEVELOPMENT CHINA'S STATE COUNCIL "We will conduct a thorough inspection on compulsory education, basic medical services, housing safety and drinking water safety. We will spot and record problems to ensure that there is no information left out. We will also focus on extreme poverty areas, and put more concentrated relief efforts on this."

For over a year, China has been embroiled in trade friction with the US.

Some are worried that the spat could impede China's poverty relief efforts.

Liu says the friction poses more of an economic concern, which could amount to job losses for some poor.

But he adds that China can take many other measures to defray that.

LIU YONGFU, DIRECTOR LEADING GROUP OFFICE OF POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND DEVELOPMENT CHINA'S STATE COUNCIL "It won't affect our achievement of the goal for this year. For example, we can create jobs locally, instead of in coastal areas which are more likely to be affected by the friction. China has the ability and means to reach the goal."

Poverty alleviation is identified as one of the three biggest challenges for China in reaching their goal of becoming a moderately prosperous society by 2020.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reiterated the importance of this in his recent government work report.

WANG HUI BEIJING "On poverty relief, Premier Li said in his government work report that the further the country gets in the crucial stage of the fight, the greater the need to tackle real problems with detail. Li says that the country needs to deliver a substantive and suitable outcomes that stand the test of time. Wang Hui, CGTN, Beijing."