China to raise more than 10 million out of rural poverty this year

China has set a target this year to reduce the number of people in China's rural areas living in poverty by more than 10 million, and is aiming to remove 300 counties from the country's list of impoverished areas.

Liu Yongfu, the head of the Poverty Alleviation and Development Office of the State Council, speaks at a news conference during the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing on Thursday, March 7, 2019. [Photo: Xinhua]

This year's targets in the battle against poverty were a topic of discussion for Liu Yongfu, the head of the Poverty Alleviation and Development Office of the State Council during a news conference on Thursday on the sidelines of the 13th National People's Congress.

Over the past six years, China's government has lifted more than 80 million rural people out of poverty. The number of rural poor in China had fallen from 98.99 million at the end of 2012 to 16.6 million at the end of last year.

A farmer picks mushrooms in the mushroom greenhouse in Bozhou City, Anhui Province, on December 12, 2018. [Photo: IC]

During the news conference, Liu Yongfu emphasized the benefits of e-commerce to poverty reduction work, as it allows residents in remote areas to sell local products to a large market.

Speaking about the issue of corruption and graft in poverty alleviation programs, Liu Yongfu said that any improper behavior will be severely dealt with by the government.