Targeted poverty alleviation has been a major topic at this year's Two Sessions. General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping said in February that we should win the battle against poverty with flying colors. Minister of the State Council Leading Group Office for Poverty Alleviation and Development Liu Yongfu clarified the phrase "with flying colors" at a press conference.

LIU YONGFU MINISTER OF STATE COUNCIL LEADING GROUP OFFICE FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND DEVELOPMENT "What's the meaning of with flying colors? First we need to complete the task to the fullest. No one will be left behind. There will be no one overlooked. Second, such poverty alleviation must be of high quality and it will be held to the test of time. There will be no deception. We need to guarantee the quality of these poverty alleviation efforts. And third, we should not only just win such a battle. For the second phase, starting in 2020, we'll keep working toward poverty alleviation. By that it means we need to continue to reduce relative poverty. It doesn't mean that by 2020 there'll be no poverty in China. We have to be clear that relative poverty will remain with us after 2020. So we still need to explore how to build a well-developed system for more relative poverty alleviation. "

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.