Insight China:

Mr. Liu, what preferential policies and specific measures are the central government taking to help disadvantaged groups and poverty-stricken areas in Hubei province? Thank you.

Liu Yongfu:

Regarding supporting Hubei, the region hit hardest since the outbreak of COVID-19, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the province to call for concerted efforts, not just within Hubei, but also in Eastern China and the central government bodies which are both supposed to help Hubei revive in terms of economic and social development in a timely fashion. In accordance with the instructions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, a full range of policies targeting economic recovery and poverty alleviation have been carried out headed by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). In addition, the province will enjoy preferential policies in terms of designated poverty-alleviation funds distributed by central finance.

The Ministry of Human Resources and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development have initiated a labor force cooperation program entitled "Seven Plus One" between Hubei and seven eastern provinces with high numbers of impoverished migrant workers. In addition to poverty relief through consumption which has facilitated sales of commodities in poverty-stricken areas, financing and labor force coordination have also propped up the economy on the basis of the multipronged poverty alleviation scheme. The impoverished local labor force that has left home for work has approached to 90% of the same period last year. I predict that it will have reached the same level as last year by the end of this month and losses are likely to be restricted to the previous three months, from February to April. Thank you.

Hu Kaihong:

That concludes today's press conference. Thank you, Mr. Liu and thank you all.

Translated and edited by Wang Yiming, Fan Junmei, Zhu Bochen, Li Huiru, Zhang Rui, Wang Yanfang, Huang Shan, Wu Jin, Wang Wei, Zhang Liying, David Ball, Laura Zheng, Scott Rainen. In case of any dispute over a discrepancy, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.