China will mark its first Poverty Alleviation Day this Friday.
Zheng Wenkai, deputy director of the State Council Poverty Alleviation Office, says more than 600 million people have been lifted out of poverty over the past three decades.
But he adds that the situation remains serious.
"First of all, there is still a large population of impoverished people. According to the national standard, there were more than 82 million poor people by the end of 2013. But according to international standards, over 200 million people remain in poverty. Secondly, there is a lot of room for improvement in the living conditions of poor people. They not only live on low incomes, but also face difficulties of getting education, electricity, medical care, bank loans, and so on."
Zheng Wenkai also notes various methods of poverty relief will be promoted.
"Some industries closely related to poverty relief like energy and photovoltaic industry are to be promoted. We will also boost e-commerce in rural areas. This requires not only the support of government, but also help from society."
According to the government work report, China aims to lift 10 million people in rural areas out of poverty this year.
