China posts remarkable poverty reduction achievements

China has made great progress in terms of poverty reduction, lifting an average of 13.9 million people out of poverty annually between 2013 and 2016, the State Council said on Tuesday.

Liu Yongfu, head of the State Council's Poverty Alleviation Office (SCPAO), stated that the number of people living below the poverty line (approximately US$362 per year) has decreased from 99 million to 43.4 million, representing the best poverty relief achievement ever made, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Liu added that rural per capita disposable income maintained double-digit growth during the last four years, with the annual average growth figure staying at 10.7 percent.

Such major leaps were attributed to the advantages offered by the country's political system and institutional strength, Liu noted.

According to a report jointly released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the SCPAO, as of 2015 China has lifted more than 710 million people out of poverty, accounting for nearly 93 percent of the total population in poverty in 1978.

(GBTIMES)