GUIYANG — China has achieved the feat of removing all remaining counties from the country's poverty list.

The last nine impoverished counties, all in Southwest China's Guizhou province, have eliminated absolute poverty, the provincial government announced on Nov 23. This means that all 832 registered poor counties in China have shaken off poverty.

An assessment conducted by third-party agencies earlier this month showed that the overall incidence of poverty in the nine counties in Guizhou had been reduced to zero percent, and the satisfaction rate among locals was over 99 percent, said Li Jian, director of the provincial poverty alleviation and development office, at a press briefing.

The average annual net income of impoverished people in these nine counties has risen to 11,487 yuan (about $1,740), well above the 4,000-yuan national poverty line set this year, Li said.