On January 20, 2009, Vice Foreign Minister Li Hui, head of the poverty alleviation leading group of the foreign ministry, hosted a thanks cocktail party on poverty alleviation. About 200 people including delegates from the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development (CPAD) and Yunnan Provincial Office of Foreign Affairs and foreign diplomats in China, Chinese and foreign businessmen and representatives of civil organizations.

Li introduced the poverty alleviation efforts of the foreign ministry over the past 16 years, thanked the CPAD, Yunnan province and all parties concerned for their great support for the ministry's poverty alleviation efforts. Zheng Wenkai, the CPAD director spoke highly of the foreign ministry's poverty alleviation and outstanding contribution to the national poverty reduction and development undertaking. Zhou Hong, director of Yunnan Provincial Office of Foreign Affairs noted that the people of Jinping and Malipo counties will never forget the assistance of the foreign ministry which has increased their confidence and courage of getting rid of poverty and enabled them feel deeply the care of the government for the ethnic minorities in the frontier regions.

Students of the two countries which receive poverty alleviation assistance from the foreign ministry performed ethnic songs for the guests.