‘China Miracle’ in the history of world poverty alleviation

Our most powerful weapon is to strengthen international cooperation to fight against the pandemic and poverty.

In the past 2020 when the world stumbled over the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing changes unseen in a century, China secured a timely and decisive victory against poverty. The final 100 million impoverished rural residents living under the current poverty line have all been lifted out of poverty. All impoverished counties and villages have also been removed from the poverty list, putting an end to extreme poverty and region-wide poverty. China has met the poverty eradication target set out by the UN 10 years ahead of schedule, contributing to over 70 per cent of the global reduction in poverty over the period. China’s accomplishment is a miracle in the millennia-long human history of fighting against poverty, and rings an upbeat note at this dark moment for humanity.

Poverty is a deep-rooted problem in all societies. To get rid of poverty is a dream pursued by billions of Chinese people. Chinese President Xi Jinping once said: “For over 40 years when I worked successively at county, municipal, provincial and central government levels, poverty alleviation has always been a vital part of my work where I spent most of my energy.” Forty years’ endeavour in poverty alleviation is not only a common career shared by numerous Chinese officials of all levels, but also a common life experience shared by nearly all Chinese. Personally speaking, I worked in Hotan Prefecture in south of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from 2002 to 2005. This historic region famous for its fine jades back then was one of the poorest places in China. All my colleagues and I were thinking and working on was how to lift the people out of poverty and lead them to live a decent life. A decade sometimes feels like a fleeting moment. With relentless efforts of generations of sent-down cadres, all impoverished areas in Xinjiang including Hotan have been lifted out poverty. As Xinjiang’s economy develops to a new level, people of all ethnicities now enjoy better livelihoods and more concrete benefits. From 2014 to 2019, its annual GDP growth stood at 7.2 per cent; the disposable income per capita grew by 9.1 per cent. The Uygur population grew from 10.17 million to 12.71 million, an increase of 25.04 per cent.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, China has put poverty alleviation on top of its governance agenda. A series of creative and unique measures have been adopted in this ambitious poverty alleviation campaign which has an unparalleled scale in human history. Over the past eight years, China has built a poverty intervention system that covers all impoverished population and is tailor-made to different types of poverty. Massive investment has been poured into infrastructure development in poor areas. The social security network in rural areas has been constantly improved. A national poverty reduction framework featuring targeted measures has been established to ensure people’s livelihood. China has also integrated poverty alleviation with environmental conservation and cultural development, breaking new grounds for sustained poverty reduction. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres rightly pointed out, “targeted poverty reduction strategies are the only way to reach those farthest behind and achieve the ambitious targets set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development…China’s experiences can provide valuable lessons to other developing countries.”