China achieves unprecedented gains in fight against poverty

China has made unprecedented achievement in poverty alleviation in the past five years after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, said top poverty relief official.

From 2012 to 2016, people living under poverty line in the country fell from almost 99 million to about 43.4 million. Another more than 10 million people are expected to be lifted out of poverty this year, said Liu Yongfu, director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, in a news conference organized by State Council Information Office on Tuesday.

On average, 13 million people were lifted out of poverty each year in the past five years. The achievement is unprecedented. About 6.4 million people were lifted out of poverty each year from 1986 to 2000. From 2001 to 2010, the number stood at about 6.7 million, he said.