BEIJING -- Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong on Thursday called for unremitting work to consolidate and expand China's poverty alleviation achievements, and to guarantee a smooth transition to assisting rural areas on a regular basis.

Continuous efforts must be made to prevent a large-scale relapse into poverty or the occurrence of poverty, Liu, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said at a related conference in Beijing.

After declaring its eradication of absolute poverty in 2021, China established a five-year transition period dedicated to consolidating and building on the outcomes of its poverty alleviation campaign, and to integrating those outcomes with rural vitalization.

Noting that this year is the final year of this transition period, Liu urged action to optimize screening and assistance processes, ensure stable employment for people who have emerged from poverty, enhance the quality and efficiency of supportive industries, and improve the long-term asset management of assistance projects.

He stressed the need for strengthened collaboration between the country's eastern and western regions, as well as the importance of improved targeted assistance, and called for solid work to provide regular assistance for rural low-income populations and underdeveloped areas in the post-transition period.

Eight provincial regions of east China signed assistance agreements with 10 western provincial regions at the conference.