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China’s poverty elimination sets a model for world
Beijing—Fan Xiaojian, the
director of the State Council Poverty-Elimination Office, said that in
the last 30 years, China has made headway in its poverty alleviation
programs. He explained China’s poverty elimination project at the
China-ASEAN Social Development and Poverty Shake-Off Forum. In the
countryside, the population in absolute poverty dropped to 21.5 million
in the year 2006 from 250 million in 1978. The poverty visibility rate
has fallen from 30.7% to 2.3%. The low-income population decreased to
35.5 million in the year 2006 from 62.1 million in 2000; and now
accounts for 3.7% of the rural population (previously 6.7%). In 6 years,
China has reduced the number of its poor by 10.5 million at an average
of 1.8 million per year.
China’s achievements in shaking off poverty are vital to the development
of the national economy, as well as to the improvement of people’s
living standards.
In particular, while promoting economic development; China also
implements large-scale, well-organized poverty elimination programs that
consider China’s national situation. Fan also said that the way to shake
off poverty with Chinese characteristics lies within the leadership of
the government, social involvement, self-reliance, poverty elimination
by development, and all-around development. The leadership of the
government regards poverty elimination as an important task for social
and national economic development.
Social involvement calls upon different social sectors to organize and
work for development and construction in poverty-stricken areas; and to
run a variety of poverty elimination programs and activities. The
sectors include related international organizations and international
NGOs. The project is funded by a $610 million investment from the World
Bank; and aims to assist 8 million people. Self-reliance aims to support
people living in poverty-stricken areas, and encourages them to
transform their backward situation through their own efforts.
Self-reliance also defines efforts to transform poor villagers’ ideas
and values, and promote their autonomy through poverty elimination and
development programs.
Poverty elimination by development aims to enhance personal gain and
personal development in poverty-stricken areas and among poor people.
The program will introduce new farming methods and technology, and will
offer training in a variety of skills and fields. 5. All-around
development combines the development of natural resources and human
resources, poverty elimination, and ecological and environmental
construction.
According to China’s 2007 Poverty Elimination and Development Report and
the latest worldwide poverty data from 1990 and 2002 from World Bank –
against a standard of living of one dollar a day – China’s population
living in poverty has decreased by 195 million. This accounts for over
90% of the total decrease in the world.
On top of that, China is active in alleviating global poverty. The
Chinese government and the UNDP (UN Development Program), along with
other international organizations, set up China’s International Poverty
Elimination Center in May 2005. The center acts as the platform for
international poverty elimination training, communication, and research.
It has trained 191 high- and middle-ranking poverty elimination experts
for 58 countries and organized 7 successive international poverty
elimination exchange conferences. In addition, China has invited nearly
one hundred poverty elimination experts, practitioners and researchers
from different countries and international institutions to China for
exchanging, learning, and studying experiences in poverty elimination.
“While carrying out our own development, China will offer its help to
other developing countries and promote mutual development,”said Fan.
—Daily Mail, People’s Daily news exchange item |
