BEIJING — President Xi Jinping hailed the country's achievement of eradicating extreme poverty as a miracle that shall "go down in history."
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks on Feb 25 while addressing a grand gathering held in Beijing to mark the country's accomplishments in poverty alleviation and award its model poverty fighters.
In his speech, Xi declared a "complete victory" in the fight against poverty through joint efforts from all ethnic groups.
Over the past eight years, China has lifted 98.99 million poor rural residents under the current poverty line out of poverty, with 832 impoverished counties and 128,000 poor villages removed from the poverty list.
Eliminating poverty in rural areas is a key contribution to accomplishing the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, Xi stressed.
Since late 2012, China has built or upgraded 1.1 million km of rural roads, provided a reliable supply of power to rural areas, and expanded fiber-optic internet access and 4G signal coverage to more than 98 percent of its poor villages.
During the same period, some 25.68 million impoverished people from 7.9 million households have seen their dilapidated houses renovated, and more than 9.6 million people have been relocated from impoverished areas.
In addition, 28 ethnic minority groups with relatively small population have shaken off poverty collectively.
Xi said the country has created a "China example" of poverty reduction and made great contributions to global poverty alleviation.
China has lifted 770 million rural residents out of poverty since the beginning of the reform and opening-up over 40 years ago when calculated in accordance with China's current poverty line, accounting for more than 70 percent of the global total according to the World Bank's international poverty line.
China has met the poverty eradication target set in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule, Xi said.
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, meets with role models in China's poverty alleviation fight and relatives of those model poverty fighters who lost their lives in the country's anti-poverty cause before a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan attend a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Mao Xianglin, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Mao Xianglin, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Bai Jingying, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Bai Jingying, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents awards to individuals and groups for their outstanding achievements in the fight against penury during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents awards to individuals and groups for their outstanding achievements in the fight against penury during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents awards to individuals and groups for their outstanding achievements in the fight against penury during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, meets with role models in China's poverty alleviation fight and relatives of those model poverty fighters who lost their lives in the country's anti-poverty cause before a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, meets with role models in China's poverty alleviation fight and relatives of those model poverty fighters who lost their lives in the country's anti-poverty cause, and has a group photo taken with them before a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Li Yu, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Li Yu, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Zhang Guimei, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Zhang Guimei, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Zhao Yafu, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Zhao Yafu, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Xia Sen, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Xia Sen, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to the Saihanba forest farm in Hebei province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to the Saihanba forest farm in Hebei province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Anhui province's Dawan village, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Dawan village in Anhui province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to the CPC's Xiadang township committee in Shouning county of Fujian province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to the CPC's Xiadang township committee in Shouning county of Fujian province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Yeping township of Ruijin city in Jiangxi province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Yeping township of Ruijin city in Jiangxi province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Shibadong village in Hunan province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Shibadong village in Hunan province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Sanhe village of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Sichuan province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Sanhe village of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Sichuan province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to the rural electricity department of the State Grid Tibet Electric Power Company, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to the rural electricity department of the State Grid Tibet Electric Power Company, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Haojiaqiao village of Suide county in Shaanxi province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Haojiaqiao village of Suide county in Shaanxi province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Banyan village of Huzhu Tu autonomous county in Qinghai province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Banyan village of Huzhu Tu autonomous county in Qinghai province, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Minning township in Ningxia Hui autonomous region, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents an award to Minning township in Ningxia Hui autonomous region, a role model in China's poverty alleviation fight, during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents awards to individuals and groups for their outstanding achievements in the fight against penury during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents awards to individuals and groups for their outstanding achievements in the fight against penury during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents awards to individuals and groups for their outstanding achievements in the fight against penury during a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
