Quotable

"Despite being the world's second-largest economy, China is burdened with the heavy task of fighting poverty. Aside from an electricity shortage, the rural poor usually have difficulty getting clean drinking water, education and medical care."

Liu Shuwen, of the State Council's Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, said on Monday. According to his office, 82.5 million rural Chinese lived in poverty at the end of 2013.