Official pledges to lift 5 million out of poverty

A senior official in Southwest China's Guizhou province pledged on May 22 to lift 5 million people out of poverty by the end of 2015.

Lu Zhiming, the deputy governor, announced the ambitious plan in Beijing during a ceremony when he signed a cooperation contract with the director of the State Council's Poverty Alleviation Leading Group Office, Fan Xiaojian.

Fan promised to offer more financial support and favorable policies to Guizhou.

There are 11.49 million people living with an annual income of less than 2,300 yuan ($360) in the province, accounting for 9.4 percent of the nation's total population under the poverty line, Lu said.

He also stressed that the provincial government will prioritize improving public services and creating more jobs as its poverty reduction strategy.