Lawmakers brainstorm methods to seal victory over poverty

BEIJING - Chinese lawmakers have met at a bimonthly legislative session to discuss a research report on poverty relief, and brainstormed methods to seal the country's victory against poverty.

The report was based on the investigation led by three National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee vice chairpersons into poverty alleviation efforts in 16 provinces and regions last year.

It was reviewed at the two-day committee session, which ended Wednesday.

Delivered at the session by Wu Weihua, vice chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee, the report said that "decisive progress" had been made in the anti-poverty fight but circumstances remained challenging.

Support for extremely impoverished regions should be continuously strengthened, according to Li Yuefeng, a member of the standing committee, who said that areas in abject poverty still posed the most difficult tasks in the battle against poverty, and called for consistent efforts to make sure they did not lag behind.

Fellow lawmaker Liu Yuankun believes the problems for extremely poor areas are rooted in their economy and society, and suggested poverty relief in such areas be integrated with local economic and social development.

"As soon as transportation works, everything will work," he said, stressing the construction of infrastructure, which allows funds, talent and industries to flow into impoverished areas.

Another member Zheng Gongcheng said that only by building inner faith and hope could the endogenous power to defeat poverty be long-lasting, and suggested prioritizing efforts in education and employment to enhance the capacity of people in poverty.

In 2018, China lifted 13.86 million people in rural areas out of poverty, with the number of impoverished rural residents dropping from 98.99 million in late 2012 to 16.6 million by the end of last year.

The number is still high, however, and many of the impoverished are long suffering from illnesses, disabled, or elderly people with no family, according to the report.

"A long-term and effective mechanism to prevent people from falling back into poverty due to illness is significant," said Li Xueyong, a member of the NPC Standing Committee, who asked for more measures to cut major illnesses at the root.