China’s Xi Jinping declares victory on poverty alleviation, but warns of ‘unbalanced’ development
- Xi Jinping says nearly 100 million Chinese have been lifted out of poverty since 2013
- But China’s wealth gap is growing and rural poor remain vulnerable of slipping back into hardship
Xi Jinping has declared victory in China’s fight against poverty, claiming nearly 100 million people have been lifted out of extreme material deprivation after eight years of struggle.
“We have completed the task of poverty alleviation in the new era as scheduled,” the president said in a speech on Thursday during a meeting with the Politburo Standing Committee, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
“Under current standards, all rural poor people have been lifted out of poverty and all poor counties have been removed. Absolute poverty and overall regional poverty have been eliminated.”
Despite Xi declaring an “impressive victory” that China could hold up to the world, critics say the official poverty threshold is too low and have questioned the sustainability of the government’s expansive poverty alleviation programme.
02:47
China looks to boost its middle class as it wraps up Xi Jinping’s anti-poverty drive
In his speech, Xi acknowledged there was more work to do, pointing out the danger inequality posed for the world’s second largest economy.
