China plans to help 148,000 villages out of poverty over the
next five years, said Liu Jian, director of the State Council
Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development
efforts.
Addressing the Poverty Reduction Seminar for Developing
Countries at Ministerial Level, Liu said the Chinese government
will strengthen infrastructure and social services -- and increase
villager income -- in the nation's poorest villages, where 80
percent of the poor population live.
According to statistics, 2.365 million people in China still
don't have enough food and clothing. And 4.067 million people do
not have regular supplies of food and clothing.
The Chinese government will also train laborers in poor areas
and promote non-farming employment, Liu said.
Ten percent of the Government's Favor Project financial poverty
reduction fund will be used for training, with the goal of
developing a laborer from each household.
The government will also encourage flagship enterprises to
promote reform of agricultural structures in poor areas and
increase farmers' income, Liu said.
And 260 poverty reduction flagship enterprises identified by the
State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and
Development will help 12 million poor people.
Liu stressed the Chinese government will continue to make
poverty reduction a priority, develop policies for needy people,
call on society as a whole to contribute to poverty reduction and
promote balanced development of impoverished areas between natural
and human resources.
The seminar, hosted by the State Council Leading Group Office of
Poverty Alleviation and Development and the Ministry of Commerce,
attracted 20 government officials from poverty reduction
departments in 16 countries, as well as officials from the Chinese
government, the UN organizations and foreign embassies to
China.
(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2006)