Although China's rural poverty-relief program is going smoothly,
the situation of the country's poverty alleviation work remains
serious, Liu Jian, director of the State Council Leading Group
Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, said in Beijing
recently.
By the end of 2005, China had 23.65 million needy people with
per capita annual income below 683 yuan (US$85.4), which is only 20
percent of the average annual income of the country's rural
population, Liu said.
Besides, the country has 40.67 million people whose annual
income is less than 944 yuan (US$118).
In line with the international standards, the number of the
needy population in China is the second largest in the world after
India, Liu said.
More than half of the poverty-stricken population in China are
living in mountainous areas. Each has less than one mu (0.067
hectare) of farmland.
He said the food supply problem has not been fundamentally
solved in some poverty-hit areas.
In the 100 poverty-stricken counties that are investigated by
the office, about 36.4 percent of the households suffer from food
shortages to different extents.
(Xinhua News Agency April 3, 2006)