Provinces and municipalities began to assess each other's poverty alleviation efforts in 2017 on Wednesday, according to a senior official from the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development.

Xia Gengsheng, a member of the group, said on Wednesday at a news conference that the move will also be accompanied by assessments carried out by third parties such as universities and scientific research institutions.

"Such third parties will not assess the areas they are from to avoid interference," he said.

Seven teams from divisions including Hebei and Hubei provinces and Chongqing municipality have left for other areas, with more teams to be dispatched in the coming days.

Xia said the assessments aim to improve work. "Practice over the past two years shows that it is beneficial to carry out rigorous assessments, and they will become more rigorous in the next three years," he said.

China has set a goal to complete the building of a "moderately prosperous society" in all respects by 2020, which requires the eradication of poverty.

According to Xia, the assessment of poverty alleviation work in 2015 and 2016 mainly focused on whether the alleviation measures were in keeping with the local conditions and the management of relief funds. This year, the assessment will also review the policy consolidation and poverty relapse.

The final result of last year’s alleviation work will be decided by the year-end result and the results of assessments carried out throughout the year to make the final result "more scientific and fairer", Xia said.

The central government will circulate a notice to commend the districts that stand out in the assessment, and allocate more funds — 400 million yuan ($61.5 million) was allocated in 2016 — for the next year's poverty alleviation work as an encouragement, he said.?

"The final result will also be referred to in the assessment of the district's government in 2017," Xia said.