Zhao Ming, deputy mayor of the city of Changdu in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, describes the city's achievements in poverty alleviation with the help of Fujian on June 15. [Photo/people.com.cn]

Four counties in Changdu city, Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region eliminated poverty thanks to assistance offered by Fujian province in East China, according to Zhao Ming, deputy mayor of the city, at a news conference held in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian, on June 15.

Fujian has sent 484 people in nine groups to aid the city since it launched the pairing assistance program in 1995. The province has injected 770 million yuan ($108.57 million) into Changdu and carried out a large number of programs related to education, health care and the rural construction, aiming to eliminate absolute poverty and improve the overall quality of people's lives in the area.

Zhao said that with the help of Fujian, the city was named a national demonstration city for ecological civilization construction last year, and the Minchang Maker Space, which was jointly established by Fujian and Changdu, was approved as the city's first national maker space.

Additionally, Fujian also arranged medical aid projects and provided free medical services to patients suffering from endemic diseases in the city, according to Zhao.

Statistics show that over the past 70 years since its liberation in 1950, Changdu has witnessed remarkable progress in economic and social development, with its GDP totaling 22 billion yuan in 2019, 539 times what it was in 1958.