85 more counties removed from China's poverty list

The Chinese government has removed another 85 counties from its national poverty list, it was announced Wednesday.

They include 25 in the Tibet autonomous region, 15 in Yunnan province and 14 in Guizhou province. The others are spread across the provinces of Hebei, Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai and in the Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions.

It takes the total number of counties removed from the list to 125 since the start of last year, the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development said in a news release.

Counties classified as impoverished can receive preferential resources and funding to aid development.

The central government aims to eradicate extreme poverty in China by the end of 2020.