67m beat poverty in past decade: white paper

China's rural residents living in poverty decreased to 26.88 million at the end of last year from 94.22 million at the end of 2000, said a white paper released on Wednesday by the State Council Information Office.

Their proportion in the country's total rural population decreased from 10.2 percent in 2000 to 2.8 percent last year, according to the white paper titled New Progress in Development-oriented Poverty Reduction Program for Rural China.

"Thanks to the government's efforts to relieve poverty over the past decade, the problems of subsistence, food and clothing for China's rural residents have been basically solved," the white paper said.

China had gradually raised the national poverty line for rural residents from 865 yuan in 2000 to 1,274 yuan in 2010.

All rural residents with incomes below the poverty line are included in the government's poverty reduction programs.