BEIJING — Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua said on Dec 28 that efforts shall be made to lift another 10 million rural residents out of poverty in 2019 as it is a critical year in winning the battle against poverty.

Hu, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the State Council Leading Group of Poverty Alleviation and Development, made the remarks at a national poverty reduction and development conference.

Hu called for implementing the spirit of the Central Economic Work Conference, carrying out targeted poverty alleviation and improving the alleviation work quality and efficiency to ensure the alleviation target is met.

He said the planning and construction of new homes for relocated poverty-stricken residents in the 13th Five-Year Plan Period (2016-2020) should be finished in 2019.

Hu ordered integrating poverty alleviation with the countryside rejuvenation strategy to boost the self-development ability of the poverty-stricken population to prevent them from returning to poverty after being lifted out it.

He also called for further promoting the booming east to help reduce poverty in certain places in the west and mobilizing social forces to join in the poverty alleviation campaign.

Over 10 million people in the countryside are estimated to be lifted out of poverty this year, with 2.8 million relocated. Over the past six years, over 80 million rural population have been lifted out of poverty, said Liu Yongfu, director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development.