CHENGDU, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Sichuan Province aims to lift a million people out of poverty next year.

Over 1.08 million people in Sichuan have been brought above the poverty line of per capita annual income of 2,300 yuan (about 350 U.S. dollars) this year, the Sichuan government said on Thursday.

The government has created jobs, built new houses for the poor and financed schooling for children from poor families. It has also subsidized medical expenses for the poor, the government said.

Sichuan will continue to prioritize poverty relief work in 2018. Renovated houses or new houses will be provided to about 340,000 people next year. Government employees will be dispatched to ensure the welfare of those who have been lifted out of poverty.

China aims to bring all impoverished people above the line in rural areas by 2020. To achieve that target, China needs to lift more than 10 million people out of poverty every year, meaning nearly one million people per month or 20 people per minute.