CPC, turning 99, poised to achieve anti-poverty milestone

PARTY LEADERSHIP

Hu is among 2.9 million cadres the CPC mobilized and sent to poor villages in recent years. They form a crucial force battling China's poverty at the frontline.

The Party, founded in 1921, has led the Chinese in fighting and winning the revolution, establishing the people's republic and developing it into the world's second largest economy.

July 1 marks the CPC's 99th anniversary of founding. A year shy of the centenary, the Party is poised to achieve yet another milestone -- eradicating absolute poverty.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, leads the fight.

As the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 brought extra challenges this year, Xi convened a large teleconference on poverty reduction in March and later inspected efforts on the ground when he visited Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Ningxia.

Xi said bringing all rural residents above the current poverty line by 2020 is a solemn promise made by the CPC Central Committee, and it must be fulfilled on time.

With less than 200 days left, the remaining pockets of deep poverty are the nation's most deprived and hardest to support, including some ethnic minority and border areas.

In Ningxia, Xi reiterated that no ethnic minority group should be left behind.

"The CPC started out as a party for the poor. The revolution was fought to liberate the poor. After the revolution was won, the Party should lead the people in living a better life," Xi said. "We managed to overcome all difficulties and challenges in the more than 70 years after the founding of New China because we remain true to our original aspiration and keep our mission firmly in mind."