Chinese President Xi Jinping says the country's socialist system and leadership is responsible for ending extreme poverty in China.(AP: Mark Schiefelbein)
China's government is celebrating President Xi Jinping's "complete victory" in the country's campaign to eradicate rural poverty.
Key points:
- Mr Xi says China has invested 1.6 trillion yuan ($310 billion) in fighting poverty over the past eight years
- Average income per person among the "rural underprivileged" in China reportedly more than tripled between 2015 and 2020
- China is still using standards applied to the world's poorest countries
However, some experts say China has set a low bar in its definition of poverty, with sustained investment required to fund continued development in its poorest areas.
The party announced in November, with little fanfare, that China no longer had anyone in extreme poverty.
That was down from an official estimate of almost 99 million living on annual incomes of less than 2,300 yuan ($446) per person a decade ago.
The full-scale propaganda campaign launched this month has filled state-controlled newspapers and airwaves with reports on the anti-poverty milestone and Mr Xi's personal role in it.
HERE