BEIJING — China will complete the goals of poverty alleviation as scheduled this year, despite the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, a spokesperson said on May 21.

The epidemic has presented new challenges and difficulties to the work of poverty eradication, Zhang Yesui, the spokesperson for the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), told a press conference.

"For instance, poor migrant laborers cannot go out to work, poor households suffer from financial losses in their operations, work of poverty-relief teams is disrupted, and anti-poverty businesses and programs have been put on hold," he said.

Important measures have been put forward to support the employment of poor laborers, boost sales of products in poor regions, support the resumption of local industries and projects, and provide assistance to those who are impoverished or fall back to poverty as a result of the epidemic, Zhang said.

"These measures, when they have been implemented and taken hold, will minimize the damages caused by COVID-19 and China's target on poverty alleviation will surely be met as scheduled," he said.

Once this is realized, it will be a milestone in the cause of poverty reduction both in China and in the world, he added.

The NPC and its standing committee will give priority to poverty-related legislative and supervision work and also leverage the roles of deputies of all levels, in a bid to contribute to building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and winning the battle against poverty, he said.