China’s goal in poverty alleviation will be a major task in the country’s development plan for the next five years, as announced at a State Council news conference earlier this week. Officials say China has made remarkable progress and set an example for other developing countries.

In the past 15 years, China has lifted more than 600 million people out of poverty, accounting for about 70 percent of those affected worldwide. China’s poverty line is set at 2,300 yuan, or around $380 in annual income. According to that standard, at the end of 2014, China still had over 70 million people in the countryside living below the poverty threshold.

Although it could be a challenging target, China hopes to lift all people out of poverty by 2020. China managed to bring over 16 million people out of poverty in 2013, and 12 million people over last year. Officials hope to achieve a target of lifting 10 million people this year.

“Chinese government has made great efforts on poverty alleviation. We hope to encourage all sectors of society to participate in the endeavor, to lift all rural population out of poverty by 2020.”

“We will come up with a string of more effective and targeted measures to achieve the goal, including launching education campaigns, encouraging financial support and building public platforms to mobilize more people to join the fight,” said Hong Tianyun, deputy director of Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation & Development.