The top 10 stories of 2017

Winning the battle against poverty

By Li Lei

China continued its progress in the battle against poverty in 2017.

In the past five years, more than 66 million people have been lifted out of poverty at an annual average of about 13 million.

Last year saw the rapid development of industry-oriented poverty-relief efforts with tangible benefits.

More than 2.7 million rural poor boosted their incomes by using the internet to sell agricultural produce and handicrafts, while about 23,000 impoverished villages took advantage of government support to develop tourism and raise living standards.

Local governments offered many people living in areas unsuited to agriculture or industry, such as isolated mountain villages, the opportunity to improve their lives by moving to more suitable environments.

More than 3.4 million people were relocated to new settlements where they were encouraged to develop agriculture and tourism, while a further 6 million saw their houses renovated and fitted with modern amenities that allowed them to live in greater comfort.

Meanwhile, about 4 million people who were impoverished because they were unable to work through illness or injury benefited from local government initiatives to raise reimbursement for medical bills to more than 80 percent.

The central government's poverty alleviation fund rose by 30 percent year-on-year, while local government funding rose by 22 percent. In total the funds surpassed 140 billion yuan ($21.5 billion).