Poor counties work with e-commerce giant to make anti-poverty plans

HANGZHOU - Officials from 21 national-level poor counties have made targeted poverty reduction plans after discussions with one of China's e-commerce giants.

More than 50 officials of 21 poverty-stricken counties took part in poverty alleviation classes held by Alibaba in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province during the weekend.

Based on different situations, the company helped the officials tailor anti-poverty plans for each county.

Yang Ruiliang, party secretary of Lueyang County of northwestern Shaanxi province, said that the county was willing to cooperate with Alibaba to sell dark-boned and dark-skinned chickens raised by poor local chicken farmers in his county, through Alibaba's online shops.

"If the chickens could be sold online, each chicken can create a profit of 75 yuan for chicken farmers, bringing more income than selling chickens in the county fair," Yang said.

There are more than 32,000 poor people living in Lueyang, while cooperation with Alibaba is expected to lift at least 60 percent of them out of poverty, Yang added.

Alibaba established a poverty alleviation fund in December 2017 and plans to invest 10 billion yuan in five years to help more people escape poverty.

"This kind of activity can better connect local officials' experiences, resources of enterprises and the society with the demands of poor places, which could further mobilize more resources to take part in the battle against poverty," said Sun Lijun, deputy secretary-general of the poverty alleviation fund of Alibaba.

Regular reviews and complementary cooperation will follow up, he said.

China is aiming to lift all rural residents, living below the current poverty line, out of poverty by 2020. This year, China will further reduce the poor rural population by over 10 million, according to a government work report.

Enterprises have been playing an important role in the anti-poverty war.