Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that the country should form a poverty relief mechanism with long-lasting effects and contain formalism in poverty reduction.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during a panel discussion with national lawmakers from southwestern China's Sichuan Province at the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC). [Special coverage]
It is the Party's solemn pledge to help all impoverished rural population out of poverty under the current standard and delist all poor counties by 2020, Xi said.
The nearer toward the deadline, the more difficult the campaign to eradicate poverty will be. That requires the country to clarify the responsibilities, take precise measures and make meticulous efforts, Xi said.
China brought 12.4 million people in rural areas above the poverty line in 2016, and there were still 43.35 million people living in poverty at the end of last year.
Xi also said China should improve the management, operation and policy systems for integrated military and civilian development, and build industrial clusters and high-tech industrial bases for this purpose.
Xi stressed the importance of creating a clean political ecology, calling it "unending work" for the Party.
Party members and cadres should consciously conform to the CPC Central Committee in thoughts and deeds, and resolutely uphold the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership, Xi added.
Other senior leaders also joined panel discussions with NPC deputies Wednesday.
In a panel discussion with lawmakers from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Premier Li Keqiang urged efforts to deliver the promise of improving the lives of all ethnic groups through reform and development, with special focus on poverty eradication.
The government should resolutely let go of powers that it should not possess, concentrate on fulfilling its duties and serve enterprises more actively, Li said.
Li also called for the region to actively participate in international cooperation and competition by opening wider to foster new strengths.
Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, joined lawmakers from China's northeastern Heilongjiang Province, stressing the need to promote economic reform and development and to further deepen the supply-side structural reform.
Zhang urged the province to take concrete measures to improve people's livelihood and properly solve their difficulties.
In a panel discussion with deputies from south China's Hainan Province, Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, underlined the basic tone of "seeking progress while maintaining stability" as an important principle in state governance and economic development.
While maintaining steady growth, the province should grasp the opportunity of the supply-side structural reform and focus efforts on improving economic structure and the quality of supply, said Yu.
Joining a panel discussion with NPC deputies from Shanxi Province, Liu Yunshan, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, called for good performance in advancing comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, with a focus on improving intra-Party political culture.
Officials should set an example for others by firmly upholding political ideals, morality and values, and pursuing self-improvement, Liu said.
Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli joined lawmakers from Hebei, urging the province to be fully engaged in the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
He urged the province to give priority to the cut of excess steel capacity in supply-side structural reform and implement the strategy of innovation-driven development.
