In a speech on November 1, 2017, Chinese Presodent Xi Jinping vowed to fulfill the Communists’ original intent and staked his legacy on an ambitious plan to complete the eradication of rural poverty by 2020. The plan targets the more than 43 million people who still live on the equivalent of less than 95 cents a day, the poverty line set by the Chinese government. Five years ago, about 100 million people lived below that line, according to official statistics.