President Xi stresses implementation of poverty relief measures

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping have urged local authorities to leave no stone unturned in the solid implementation of precision poverty relief measures to lift the nations's poor out of poverty.

He made the remarks in a congratulatory statement sent to a commendation meeting held on Sunday in Beijing, which honored organizations and individuals for their outstanding poverty alleviation work.

Xi called for combined efforts of local officials in poverty-stricken areas and all sectors of society to battle poverty and support the reform and innovation of poverty relief.

More than 600 million Chinese were lifted out of poverty in the past three decades, about 70 percent of the world total. China became the first developing country to meet the millennium development target.

For the coming years, the government has named poverty reduction one of its top priorities, vowing to help the remaining 70 million poor people, who live below the poverty line of 2,300 yuan in annual income, shake off poverty and enjoy essential social services by 2020.