Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua on March 29 called for efforts to push forward poverty-relief work and poverty alleviation in targeted areas.

Hu, also head of the State Council’s lead group on poverty alleviation and development, made the remarks at a conference on encouraging eastern regions to help lift western regions out of poverty and promoting central enterprises and departments to strengthen poverty relief.

Hu said that an agreement first signed in 2018 outlines the poverty alleviation cooperation needed between eastern and western regions, while the responsibilities of central enterprises and departments are clarified in a liability statement.

He said that 2019 is a key year in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and to win the battle against poverty.

Solid efforts should be made to complete tasks in the agreement and the liability statement, and to improve the effectiveness and sustainability in fighting poverty and building a moderately prosperous society, Hu said.

Participants at the conference signed the 2019 agreement and liability statement to continue the efforts against poverty.