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Editor's note: John Gong is a professor at the University of International Business and Economics and a research fellow at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies at UIBE. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.
Today's national commendation conference in Beijing marks an important milestone of China's great endeavor in eradicating absolute poverty. About 100 million people, or over 10 million a year – the size of a midsized country's entire population – have been lifted out of extreme poverty since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012 elevated poverty elimination to a priority of national governance.
In his speech today, President Xi used the phrase "human miracle" to describe what has been achieved so far. Indeed he said that the entire Chinese history has been a history of our people's fight against poverty. Today we can proudly declare that there will be no single person left behind, who has difficulty in making a decent living or having to worry about basic food and basic shelter.
Poverty has been a perennial problem haunting mankind. Even in very rich countries today, such as the United States, which has a GDP per capita six times of China, there are still signs of poverty.
Those impoverished can be visibly present in fact, no so far away from the bustling city centers. You can just go to downtown Santa Monica, California, what I call the capital of the homeless in the U.S. (this is actually a compliment for local residents' open arms to the homeless), or go to the beautiful beaches there, for an idea of the extent of the homeless problem in the United States. Here in China, we see far fewer homeless people roaming on the streets.
The significance of the eradication of absolute poverty in China has global implications. In Asia, people living below the poverty line, which is defined as living on about $2 a day, has been reduced from 1.5 billion to 260 million, and a large portion of it is coming from China, especially in the last seven years. China reached the United Nations Millennium Goal 10 years earlier.
A breeder feeds sheep in Yanchi County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 27, 2019. /Xinhua
There got to be something unique about the Chinese model in that regard. Sharing China's experiences with the world is not at all about ideological exports, nor about strategic competition with the West, or political triumphalism for that matter. There is simply no hidden agenda. We just want to share with an international audience who care about their own citizens living a decent and dignified life.
In President Xi's speech, he mentioned two things that greatly contributed to China's success.
One is the economic development. At a fundamental level, poverty alleviation could not be sustainable without a modest pace of economic growth. Helping the impoverished is not simply providing handouts; it is about providing the environment and the incentives under which they can economically thrive themselves with their own hands. That means providing public goods such as local infrastructures for roads and telecom in today's e-commerce world. That means providing education and training opportunities that would not be possible without the government's help.
The second unique ingredient of China's recipe can be summarized by the word "precision." The Chinese government's efforts are targeting the needed with much precision, and for that it has established what I call the local political apparatus encompassing and engaging all societal organizations to help the poor, including the government, civil organizations, state-owned enterprises and private businesses. For example, the government has established an extensive database of those in need of help. These useful and concrete lessons and tactics can be helpful for other countries.
The eradication of poverty is a cause never ending. It is a moving target. I hope this established local political apparatus will continue to function and lead.
news.cgtn.com
Today's national commendation conference in Beijing marks an important milestone of China's great endeavor in eradicating absolute poverty. About 100 million people, or over 10 million a year – the size of a midsized country's entire population – have been lifted out of extreme poverty since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012 elevated poverty elimination to a priority of national governance.
In his speech today, President Xi used the phrase "human miracle" to describe what has been achieved so far. Indeed he said that the entire Chinese history has been a history of our people's fight against poverty. Today we can proudly declare that there will be no single person left behind, who has difficulty in making a decent living or having to worry about basic food and basic shelter.
Poverty has been a perennial problem haunting mankind. Even in very rich countries today, such as the United States, which has a GDP per capita six times of China, there are still signs of poverty.
Those impoverished can be visibly present in fact, no so far away from the bustling city centers. You can just go to downtown Santa Monica, California, what I call the capital of the homeless in the U.S. (this is actually a compliment for local residents' open arms to the homeless), or go to the beautiful beaches there, for an idea of the extent of the homeless problem in the United States. Here in China, we see far fewer homeless people roaming on the streets.
The significance of the eradication of absolute poverty in China has global implications. In Asia, people living below the poverty line, which is defined as living on about $2 a day, has been reduced from 1.5 billion to 260 million, and a large portion of it is coming from China, especially in the last seven years. China reached the United Nations Millennium Goal 10 years earlier.
A breeder feeds sheep in Yanchi County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 27, 2019. /Xinhua
There got to be something unique about the Chinese model in that regard. Sharing China's experiences with the world is not at all about ideological exports, nor about strategic competition with the West, or political triumphalism for that matter. There is simply no hidden agenda. We just want to share with an international audience who care about their own citizens living a decent and dignified life.
In President Xi's speech, he mentioned two things that greatly contributed to China's success.
One is the economic development. At a fundamental level, poverty alleviation could not be sustainable without a modest pace of economic growth. Helping the impoverished is not simply providing handouts; it is about providing the environment and the incentives under which they can economically thrive themselves with their own hands. That means providing public goods such as local infrastructures for roads and telecom in today's e-commerce world. That means providing education and training opportunities that would not be possible without the government's help.
The second unique ingredient of China's recipe can be summarized by the word "precision." The Chinese government's efforts are targeting the needed with much precision, and for that it has established what I call the local political apparatus encompassing and engaging all societal organizations to help the poor, including the government, civil organizations, state-owned enterprises and private businesses. For example, the government has established an extensive database of those in need of help. These useful and concrete lessons and tactics can be helpful for other countries.
The eradication of poverty is a cause never ending. It is a moving target. I hope this established local political apparatus will continue to function and lead.
China's poverty alleviation effort - a 'human miracle'
The eradication of poverty is a cause never ending. It is a moving target. I hope this established local political apparatus will continue to function and lead.
news.cgtn.com
