More measures underway to improve livelihoods

China is carrying out more targeted measures to lift 70 million people out of poverty by 2020.

"Precise poverty alleviation is the basic strategy," said Liu Yongfu, director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, calling for creative ideas and methods to reduce poverty.

The strategy includes setting precise targets for projects, use of capital and specific effects.

"We need to reform the current thoughts and methods, change the blanket and all-inclusive policies to more targeted policies, help the poor population to develop on their own, change the assessment focus from GDP figures to achievement of poverty alleviation, and solve a number of issues including who to support, how to conduct poverty alleviation and how to deal with exiting from poverty," Liu said.

For instance, identifying and registering the poor population across China has been completed, identifying 128,000 impoverished villages, 30 million poor families and 70 million people.

In December, the country's blueprint to tackle poverty was released, giving specific instructions on poverty reduction.

"The goal will be the most arduous task on China's path toward the building of a moderately prosperous society," said the document.

The document reiterated that there should be ways to ensure that the poor in rural areas have access to food, clothes, basic education, medical care and a safe home by 2020.

National average

Per capita disposable income of farmers in poor areas should grow faster than the national average, and basic public services should almost match the national average.

"Extraordinary measures should be taken, solid solutions applied, and the Party and society should be mobilized to win the tough battle against poverty," the document said.

The government should develop industries, help migrant workers find jobs and relocate people who live in hostile conditions and fragile environments, it said.

Poor regions should benefit from government funds for environmental protection, education support and medical assistance.

Infrastructure construction should also be stepped up, the document said.

Apart from building more railways, roads, water facilities and power projects, Internet access and logistics should be enhanced to encourage e-commerce. Fiscal spending should be increased and banks should be encouraged to offer more support the poverty relief measures.

Meanwhile, ecological protection should be given priority in poverty alleviation and development, according to the document.

China has lifted around 100 million rural people of poverty since 2010.

More than 600 million Chinese have escaped poverty in the past three decades, about 70 percent of the total global achievement.