IN 2016, the central government removed 28 counties from its poverty county roster, and the number of applicants last year was almost five times that. The departments responsible to review and approve the applications must act objectively and prudently. The approach of the 2020 deadline should not make a difference in their criteria. People's Daily comments:

Of the 564 counties still recognized as poverty-stricken ones last year, 125 have now applied to the central government to be delisted from its poverty county roster, as they think their anti-poverty efforts have already lifted their residents out of poverty. However, a shorter poverty county roster does not means poverty will disappear in rural areas, or that the anti-poverty work is finished.

If the current anti-poverty work is overwhelmingly focused on meeting the deadline of eliminating poverty by 2020, improving the impoverished population's income by direct funding, or "statistical poverty alleviation", is the fastest way to lift people out of poverty. This would fulfill the 2020 promise, although only for a while. Even if the 2020 vow to lift the remaining more than 30 million people out of poverty is realized, the anti-poverty endeavor will need to continue to stop people from slipping back into poverty.

The anti-poverty work should divert its attention to the construction of a sustainable poverty-alleviation mechanism that varies from place to place to prevent people from falling back into poverty.

The mechanism should pay more attention to improving public services, and developing infrastructure and special industries in the needy places so as to provide the population with the necessary means to pursue better lives and personal development.

Poverty is a relative concept, and the poverty alleviation work will need to continue after 2020. State-owned enterprises should shoulder their responsibilities for poverty alleviation, and private enterprises should also be encouraged to play a part to ensure the effective docking between the development needs of poverty-stricken people and assistance.