The recently concluded 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) explicitly pointed out that one of the most challenging yet non-negotiable tasks for the CPC is to lift more than 40 million people out of poverty before 2020. Over the past two decades, the total poverty-stricken population across the world has been reduced by half, which is mostly contributed by Asia-Pacific countries, especially China. The Chinese government has always put the survival and developmental rights of its people in the first place, and China’s achievements and experiences, as World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim rightly put, will provide inspiration and role model for other developing countries, making a greater difference in the fight against poverty beyond its own boarders.

“This is one of the great stories in human history.” said Mr. Jim Yong Kim at the 2017 Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He said, “With the progress of China’s economic reform and its integration into the global market, it has taken over 800 million people out of poverty. The proportion of the world’s extremely poor population has fallen to less than 40 percent, most of that progress, happened in China. So this effort has been historic. I think we're still trying to understand exactly how millions of people were lifted out of poverty, but it was one of the great successes. Other middle-income countries could learn a lesson from the story”.

China is beyond doubt the world’s most populous country, and it is also a developing country. If China’s poor population, including the absolutely poverty-stricken population can’t be reduced, there will be no chance for the world’s “poverty scale” to be deescalated. China’s remarkable poverty reduction achievements are well-deserved to be applauded for. Over the past 40 or so years, under the leadership of CPC, China has implemented reforms and opened up its economy, and lifted in the process almost 800 million people out of poverty, a figure that represents more than 70 percent of the global reduction in poverty. From 2013 to 2016 alone, the impoverished population in rural areas declined annually by more than 13 million, amounting to 55.64 million in total, a miracle in the world’s poverty eradication history.

China’s poverty eradication miracle is the result of the country’s extraordinary economic boom on the basis of equality. During the almost four decades of reform and opening-up, Chinese economy has maintained fast growth, solving the problem of food and clothing shortages in most parts of the country. The rapid development of Chinese economy creates a solid foundation for solving the poverty issue. Moreover, the pursuit of equality has always been an inherent gene in Chinese political and social culture. While Chinese economy takes off and part of the population becomes well-off first, the CPC is attaching even greater significance to the underprivileged and striving for better inclusiveness of economic growth, which is the very manifestation of the political mission of CPC.

China’s poverty eradication work is not only aiming at getting people out of poverty. If it’s only by relief or other means to temporarily alleviate the problem of poverty, the likelihood of re-poverty would be quite high. China’s poverty eradication is the development-oriented poverty eradication, with a strong sustainability, which can effectively prevent re-poverty. In recent years, the Chinese government has introduced a number of policies to help small and medium enterprises to solve financing problems, providing them with the start-up funds, as well as the market. China’s poverty eradication project has formed a complete system with multiple purposes of employment, entrepreneurship, service and rescue in one, and every link within the system is closely intertwined, which can efficiently compensate for the exiting loopholes and deficiencies.

China’s poverty eradication efforts is now gaining more momentum. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Chinese government has been implementing the targeted poverty eradication. For example, in areas endowed with unique resources, the government guides all stakeholders to increase investment to support the development of particular industries with local characteristics so as to generate more incomes for peasants. In some poverty-stricken areas, the government focuses on improving the ecological environment and encourages poor peasants to make their investment by way of their labor. In addition, the government works hard to alleviate the burden of medical expenses of poor peasants, in a attempt to prevent illness-related poverty. The scheme is highly targeted and customized, so that the effectiveness could be enduring and sustainable.

China has put forward the concept of building a community of shared future. While advancing the Belt and Road Initiative and seeking win-win cooperation and common development of all countries, China has also been actively participating in the global poverty eradication endeavor. While striving to reduce poverty at home, China has also been actively supporting the cause in other developing countries. Over the past 60 years, China has provided 166 countries and international organizations with nearly 400 billion RMB of assistance. China has also announced seven times it would exempt, without any conditions, the matured inter-governmental interest free loans owned by heavily-indebted poor countries and least developed countries. This past June, Chinese foreign minister Mr. Wang Yi came to Addis Ababa to attend the Africa-China High-Level Dialogue and Think Tank Forum, with the theme of “Fighting against poverty for common prosperity”. During the forum, he shared a lot of useful Chinese experiences of poverty eradication with African brothers. And now, the Chinese government is working with the World Bank to address the difficulties of financing of small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa. Just as what President Xi Jinping said at the 2015 Global Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development Forum, China will engage in concerted efforts with African government and the public to fight the hard battle against poverty!