China announces eradication of extreme poverty in last poor counties

China has removed the last remaining counties from a list of poor regions, in what officials described as achieving President Xi Jinping’s longstanding political goal of eliminating extreme poverty by the end of this year.

The milestone was achieved by lifting 93 million people out of poverty since 2013, China’s government said. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a press briefing on Tuesday that China was prepared to share its experience with other developing countries.

China sets its own national standard of extreme poverty, based on a per capita income threshold of 4,000 yuan per year, or around $1.52 per day, and