China's Poverty Alleviation Has Made Great Contribution to Global Poverty Reduction

BEIJING, May 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by Liu Haiying, Du Haibin & Long Yun from Science and Technology Daily:

More than 700 million people have been lifted out of poverty to meet the poverty reduction targets of the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development 10 years ahead of schedule

Chinese President Xi Jinping made the announcement as he addressed the opening of the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) via video link. "China will provide 2 billion U.S. dollars over two years to help with COVID-19 response and with economic and social development in affected countries, especially developing countries. Moreover, China will work with other G20 members to implement the Debt Service Suspension Initiative for the poorest countries," Xi continued, adding that China is also ready to work with the international community to bolster support for the hardest-hit countries under the greatest strain of debt service so that they could tide over the current difficulties.

Sonia Bressler, a French expert on China Studies said, President Xi's speech showed the world the Chinese vision of "human beings living under the same sky" and the Chinese concept of promoting unity and solidarity in containing epidemic and eradicating poverty.    

"Since the implementation of reform and opening up, the vast majority of Chinese people have lifted themselves out of poverty and become the first developing country in the world to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals," South Africa's mainstream media "Independent Online" wrote in an article. "Eradicating extreme poverty should be the top priority for African governments. In this regard, China's experience can be used for reference. China made some great strides in the fight against poverty because its leaders mobilized the nation through clear policies, resources, realistic goals, and strict discipline," the article wrote.

This is because poverty alleviation has always been a top priority for the Chinese government. China has been committed to eradicating poverty since the adoption of the reform and opening up policy. It has gradually adjusted its poverty reduction targets in line with economic development and set up special agencies to standardize and institutionalize poverty reduction work. In 2013, President Xi put forward the "Targeted Poverty Relief" strategy in Xiangxi Hunan province. On May 12, 2014, Poverty Relief Office of the State Council and other departments jointly issued the Implementation Plan for Establishing a Targeted Poverty Alleviation Working Mechanism. On December 2, 2016, the State Council has released a poverty alleviation plan for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), which serves as an action guide for local governments to combat poverty and an important basis for relevant departments to formulate special poverty alleviation plans.

The country saw the number of impoverished rural residents decline from nearly 770 million in late 1978 to 5.51 million by the end of 2019, as shown by data from China's National Bureau of Statistics. And the poverty headcount ratio dropped to 0.6% from 97.5% during the period. On the road to "poverty alleviation", China eventually bridged the huge number gap between 97.5% and 0.6%, 770 million and 5.51 million with decades of unremitting exploration and efforts.

President Xi made the remarks on March 6 at a symposium on securing a decisive victory in poverty alleviation. "Upon completion of the poverty eradication task this year, China will achieve the poverty alleviation goal set in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule, which is of great significance to both China and the world, as no country in the world has ever lifted so many people out of poverty in such a short period of time," he said.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), whose main task is to support the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) spoke highly of China's development in recent decades, which has left a deep impression on the world. China is the first country to achieve the poverty alleviation goal set in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The latest version of National Human Development Report Special Edition points out that China adopted comprehensive poverty alleviation strategy through multiple approaches, which is a typical example of China's promotion for human development and worth being learned by other countries.

Achim Steiner, administrator of the United Nations Development Program, also told the media that China's achievements in poverty alleviation are unprecedented in scale and time. He pointed out that countries can learn from China regarding how to make the economy develop in a more systematic and organized way, which is consistent with the UN's SDGs and the idea that no one should be left behind.

The United Nations predicts that it will be difficult to achieve the poverty reduction targets of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. In particular, COVID-19 pandemic will have a negative impact on the global economy, especially for those developing countries.

The Deputy Secretary-General Ms. Amina J. Mohammed said that African countries have made positive progress in promoting sustainable economic and social development in recent years. However, the continent is still far from meeting the goals set out in the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Most of the poor in the world live in sub-Saharan Africa, which makes this area the focus of global poverty governance.

Poverty reduction rate in developing countries outside China has been quite slow and the number of impoverished people is even increasing. For example, the number of people living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa increased from 278 million in 1990 to 413 million in 2015, accounting for more than half of the world's poor people.

In fact, China has always made a major contribution to poverty reduction and development in Africa. The China-Africa trade and investment have boosted Africa's economic development, improved its economic situation and to some degree reduced its poverty.

In 2015, when President Xi Jinping attended Johannesburg Summit on China-Africa Cooperation, China announced that in the next three years, China would carry out ten major cooperation plans, including the China-Africa Poverty Reduction Plan. China will carry out in Africa 200 "Happy Life" projects and poverty reduction programs with women and children as key beneficiaries. China will implement agricultural enriching projects in 100 African villages to raise rural living standards. Greatly concerned about the poor harvest caused by El Nino in many African countries, China will provide one billion RMB as emergency food aid to the affected countries.

Professor Garth Shelton, an expert on China studies at University of Witwatersrand, believes that socialism with Chinese characteristics ensures national harmony and stability. China's reform and opening up policy has promoted the realization of the Chinese dream and greatly reduced the number of impoverished people in the country. Rita Ozoemena, a scholar from the University of Johannesburg, said that China puts people first and has made a series of great achievements in improving people's livelihood and reducing poverty, which is really about bringing happiness to the people.

Martyn Davies, a well-known economist from South Africa, believes that China pays attention to practical results and has the courage to pursue reform and break new ground. At the same time, it strengthens institutional building, formulates precise policies and ensures effective implementation. These are fundamental causes of China's economic success and the essence of its successful model.