Improving Livelihoods: China Focuses On Targeted Poverty Alleviation

The announcement was made on March 2, 2017 ahead of the opening of the country’s annual political season.

China is set to improve the livelihoods of its people this year through targeted, accelerated poverty alleviation. The announcement was made on March 2, 2017 in the Chinese capital, Beijing, by Wang Guoqing, Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, CPPCC. This was in prelude to the opening of the CPPCC (the Upper House of Parliament) on March 3, 2017.

Generally known as the Chinese annual political season, both the fifth session of the 12^th CPPCC and the fifth session of the 12^th National People’s Congress, NPC (the Lower House of Parliament) are currently sitting till the middle of this month. Guoqing said the CPPCC last year sent out delegations to meet local people, promising that parliamentary committees will this year organise more inspection tours of measures put in place.

“This will be the second consecutive time the CPPCC will organise a thematic conference on poverty alleviation,” Guoqing told the over 400 journalists gathered for the press conference. In order to specifically address farmers’ incomes, he announced that another thematic meeting on the matter will be held this year.

The Vice Chairman admitted that there has been a slowdown in personal incomes of late, recalling that stakeholders last July proffered measures to tackle the situation. These include ensuring more added value...