The ruling party of China — Communist Party — on Wednesday vowed to lift 50 million people out of poverty by 2020.
In addition to the 50 million, at least another 20 million people who are unable to work or are disabled will be placed under a safety net, said the party.
"We will mobilise all the resources available within the party and in society to win the battle of poverty elimination," Xinhua reported the Politburo as saying in a statement.
In a party meeting presided by the party chief and President Xi Jinping, it was decided that the party would take "unconventional measures" and "perfect methods" to eradicate poverty.
Official statistics say 70.2 million rural Chinese were living below the poverty line by the end of last year. The poverty line for China is an annual income of 2,300 yuan (HK$2,790).
The ambitious plan, however, seems attainable for the country as local media had reported that the country was the first to reach the UN Millennium Development goal of halving the population living under poverty.
The statement issued by the Politburo also said there would be investment into infrastructure in rural areas, 55 state-owned enterprises will also be examined, along with improving the party-run schools.
