China Review News Agency:
2020 was the final year in the poverty alleviation campaign. All 832 poverty-stricken counties in China have been lifted out of poverty but some of them are still at the risk of falling back into poverty. Going forward, the key is to ensure the smooth transition from consolidating and expanding the achievements in poverty alleviation to rural revitalization. What are the plans and detailed measures in this regard? Thank you.
Tang Renjian:
In addition to food security, this issue is another major concern of all parties both at present and in the future. MARA has proposed a "two-ensured-aspects" approach to this year's work and during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). One goal is to ensure a constant annual grain production of 650 million-plus tons and the other is to ensure that no large-scale poverty ever appears again. I think this answers your question.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has reminded us long before that being lifted out of poverty is not an end in itself but the starting point of a new life and a new pursuit. After the tasks of poverty alleviation in the new era are fulfilled, work related to agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents should shift to comprehensively promote rural revitalization. The central government calls for consolidating and expanding the gains in poverty alleviation to make a smooth transition to rural revival. The bottom line mentioned above is to ensure that large-scale poverty doesn't occur ever again. People living in poverty-stricken areas have cast off poverty, which means that their living requirements for food and clothing have been largely met and they have access to compulsory education, medical care, and housing. Nonetheless, the foundation of their development, especially their capacities for self-development, is not strong, and the basis of their industries — and fundamental support — is not that solid. Hence, consolidating the outcomes of poverty alleviation and preventing falling back into poverty remains an important task. This year and during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we require that priority be given to the smooth transition of consolidating and expanding the achievements in poverty eradication to rural revitalization. We will continue to fully perform our duties and ensure that there is no gap in our work and policies.
The general requirement is to set a five-year transition period from the date of eradicating poverty in those counties that have ended poverty. General Secretary Xi Jinping and this year's No. 1 central document require that major policies should be stable on the whole and at the same time be adjusted and optimized on a case-by-case and classified basis to give counties a leg up to get them going. To be specific, the key for those counties that have been lifted out of poverty is to make efforts in dynamic monitoring and assistance to prevent them from falling back into poverty. There is only one request: early detection, early intervention, and early assistance because if there is no detection, action will come too late. Industrial assistance is still the fundamental way to help people alleviate poverty and consolidate relevant achievements. We need to focus on this key point and continue to strengthen it. The main approach is to reinforce the weak points, including technology, facilities, and capital, so that the industries that have aided poverty reduction can be upgraded. To provide follow-up support to the 9.6 million people relocated from inhospitable areas, the key is to still develop industries to boost employment and increase incomes and make them better-off as soon as possible. Meanwhile, efforts should also be made to improve infrastructure and provide public services, to help relocated citizens integrate into their new communities. In addition, we need to enhance regular assistance to low-income people in rural areas, who sit just above or under the poverty line.
We will make areas that have cast off poverty a priority in rural revitalization and give them greater support. An important measure we need to adopt is to continue identifying priority counties in the western region that need assistance in terms of rural revitalization. We will focus our support on fiscal and financial services, land, human resources, infrastructure, and public services, etc. In addition, we will also encourage localities to select some priority counties themselves to receive rural revival support.
Ensuring no large-scale poverty occurs ever again is the bottom line, and we need to promote a steady transformation of the work system as well. In the fight against poverty, relevant central government departments have issued more than 200 policy documents, forming an effective policy and work system regarding organization and mobilization; factors in production guarantees, policy support, coordination, and assistance; and assessment and supervision, among other areas. Since the goals of poverty alleviation have been achieved, we need to adapt to the shift of work focus to comprehensively promote rural revitalization and promote effective coordination between the poverty reduction work system and that of the revitalization to gradually realize the smooth transition from focusing on poverty alleviation to comprehensively promoting rural revitalization. Thank you.
