Ningbo in East China’s Zhejiang province and Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture, Guizhou province agree to coordinate efforts to help the latter eradicate poverty on May 14. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province and Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture, Guizhou province agreed to coordinate efforts to help the latter with eradicate poverty on May 14. 

Qianxinan was paired with Ningbo under the "pairing assistance" program launched by the central government, which requires more prosperous provinces and municipalities in East China to lend support to less developed regions of the country.

China has vowed to eliminate abject poverty by 2020.

While attending the signing ceremony, Zheng Shanjie, secretary of the CPC Ningbo Municipal Committee, said that the city will fully support Qianxinan's drive to eliminate poverty, calling for more industrial investment with employment opportunities in the prefecture. 

Wu Qiang, vice-governor of Guizhou, expressed gratitude to Ningbo for its support toward Qianxinan and Guizhou. 

Guizhou is the main battleground in China's crucial fight against poverty, he said, expressing hope that both sides can advance cooperation in areas such as labor services, tourism, education and medical care. 

Ningbo has been playing an active role in poverty alleviation in Qianxinan. 

Over the past 23 years, Ningbo has allocated 1.16 billion yuan ($168.1 million) in financial support to the prefecture. 

The two cities have jointly built five industrial parks, which are now home to 17 enterprises receiving 292 million yuan in investment and employing 5,776 people. 

Last year alone, a total of 48 enterprises from Ningbo invested a combined value of 3.3 billion yuan in the city, creating 30,180 jobs.

In addition, in 2019, Ningbo sent a total of 420 Party cadres and professionals to Qianxinan to offer support in education, medicine, and agriculture, while Qianxinan sent 730 cadres to study in Ningbo.