Global Times:

Consolidating and expanding the achievements in poverty alleviation is a prerequisite for comprehensively promoting rural revitalization. What is the current progress in this regard? What measures will be taken next to help people who have been lifted out of poverty to improve their lives? Thank you.

Liu Huanxin:

Thank you for your concern and attention to consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation.

2022 is the year of pursuing rural revitalization by building on the success in poverty alleviation in an in-depth manner. Through the joint efforts of all parties, our poverty alleviation achievements are further consolidated and expanded. The foundation of poverty alleviation is more solid and the results are more sustainable, which are mainly reflected in three aspects. First, there have been no people slipping back into poverty in large numbers. The monitoring and assistance mechanisms to prevent people from slipping back into poverty have played an effective role. The time spent on poverty identification and confirmation has been shortened to less than 15 days, and early detection, early intervention, and early assistance have been realized. The capacity for guaranteeing access to compulsory education, basic medical services and safe housing for impoverished rural residents, and the capacity for providing safe drinking water and meeting people’s basic needs continue to be consolidated and improved. Second, the employment situation of the labor force that was lifted out of poverty remains stable. In 2022, 32.779 million of them enjoyed full employment, an increase of 1.329 million from the end of 2021, exceeding the annual target by 2.587 million. Third, the income of areas and people that have been lifted out of poverty has increased rapidly. In 2022, the per capita disposable income of farmers in areas that have been lifted out of poverty reached 15,111 yuan, an increase of 7.5%, which is 1.2 percentage points higher than the growth rate of the per capita disposable income of farmers nationwide. The per capita net income of those that have been lifted out of poverty reached 14,342 yuan, a year-on-year increase of 14.3%, 8 percentage points higher than the growth rate of the per capita disposable income of farmers nationwide.

General Secretary Xi Jinping called for efforts to consolidate and expand our achievements in poverty alleviation and help areas and people that have just shaken off poverty build their own momentum for growth in his report to the 20th CPC National Congress. The task of consolidating and expanding achievements in poverty alleviation has continued to be put high on the agenda in the No. 1 central document for 2023 as one of the bottom-line tasks. We will thoroughly implement the decisions and arrangements made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council and intensify efforts to carry out all work related to consolidating and expanding achievements in poverty alleviation, in a bid to further improve the livelihoods of people lifted out of poverty.

First, we will strengthen monitoring to ensure the implementation of poverty assistance work. We will carry out regular monitoring and centralized screening of monitored targets, further improve the accuracy of identification and targeted assistance, and promptly address the potential risks of returning to poverty due to epidemics , illnesses or disasters. We will provide classified assistance and implement development-oriented poverty reduction measures for monitored households that are able to work and willing to do so. We should also enhance social security guarantees for those who are unable to work.

Second, we will foster driving force for development. We should regard increasing the income of people lifted out of poverty as a fundamental measure, take accelerating the development of counties lifted out of poverty as the main direction, focus on industrial employment and give full play to the role of development, so as to further narrow the gaps in income and development, and help areas and people lifted out of poverty build their own momentum for growth. We will make good use of the central government's subsidies for rural revitalization to improve weak links of poverty-stricken areas in technology, infrastructure, marketing and other industries. We will deepen cooperation in labor services coordination between eastern and western regions, create more jobs for people lifted out of poverty to prevent them from returning to poverty, and ensure that the scale of employment for those lifted out of poverty remains stable at over 30 million .

Third, we will further improve relevant policies. We will fully implement the policy of effectively linking our achievements in poverty alleviation and rural revitalization, and continue to give greater priority to policies in key counties for rural revitalization and in key areas such as poverty-alleviation relocation centers in inhospitable areas. We will deepen cooperation between the eastern and western regions, mobilize central government departments to provide designated assistance, and encourage more assistance mechanisms such as the "10,000 Enterprises to Aid 10,000 Villages" program, to generate synergy to prevent people from falling back into poverty. We will give full play to the role of assessment and evaluation as the "baton" to consolidate and expand the achievements in poverty alleviation and rural revitalization, and strengthen responsibilities at all levels. Thank you.