China contributes wisdom, strength to poverty alleviation efforts globally

BEIJING -- As a trailblazer in combating poverty, China has consistently shared its experiences and resources with other countries, fostering shared development that benefits all of humanity.

At the G20 Summit in November, China announced its decision to join the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, an initiative designed to raise resources and knowledge to implement proven public policies and social technologies to combat hunger and poverty worldwide.

Over the years, China's commitment has been repeatedly evidenced through a range of projects, such as the Luban Workshop, the program of "Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages" and the "Africa Solar Belt" program, each widely embraced by locals.

China's success in poverty elimination not only offers hope and inspiration to countries worldwide but also provides valuable insights and practical support for their poverty alleviation efforts.

EXPERIENCE IN FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY

In 2021, China declared that it had eradicated extreme poverty, a remarkable achievement following decades of unremitting efforts by the world's most populous country. Having lifted 800 million people out of poverty, the country realized the poverty reduction goal set by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a decade in advance.

However, poverty remains a vexing problem that has plagued humanity. In 2023, global hunger levels were stubbornly high for three consecutive years, with a staggering 733 million people -- one in eleven globally -- facing hunger, according to a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.

This persistent challenge has prompted many nations still struggling with poverty to turn to China, hoping to learn from its success and replicate its anti-poverty achievements.

A cornerstone of China's poverty alleviation efforts is its targeted poverty alleviation strategy. With specific individuals, local conditions, and the root causes of poverty in mind, this approach has proven to be a silver bullet to the deeply entrenched problem.

Under this model, China established clear standards and procedures for accurately identifying the poor and implemented robust team efforts to ensure the effective implementation of tailored measures.

During China's battle against absolute poverty, a total of 255,000 teams were dispatched to offer on-the-ground support and over 3 million people were sent to the countryside as special commissioners for poverty relief, official data showed.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his message for the 2017 Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum that "targeted poverty reduction strategies are the only way to reach those farthest behind and achieve the ambitious targets set out in the 2030 Agenda."

"China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, and its experiences can provide valuable lessons to other developing countries," he added.

Ravshan Nazarov, senior researcher at the Institute of State and Law of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, said China's successful approach to combating poverty provides substantial support in implementing the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and showcases a diverse and systematic model of poverty reduction that can serve as a practical example for other countries.

SUPPORT FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

At the G20 Summit, China also outlined eight actions for global development. These include pursuing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, implementing the Global Development Initiative, supporting development in Africa, and supporting international cooperation on poverty reduction and food security.

"China is clearly demonstrating its commitment to the fight against poverty and its real support for the development of countries, especially those in the Global South," said Eduardo Relagado, researcher at the International Policy Research Center of Cuba.

Through various initiatives, China has consistently increased its resource input, optimized cooperation methods, and expanded financing channels to support the shared development of nations around the world.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an important part of the eight actions, has already brought substantial benefits since its launch over 11 years ago.

By June 2023, China had signed more than 200 BRI cooperation agreements with more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations across five continents, yielding a number of signature projects and small-scale yet impactful projects.

World Bank has estimated that by 2030, BRI-related projects and investments could lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million others out of moderate poverty.

The Global Development Initiative, launched three years ago, has provided nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars in development funds and launched more than 1,100 projects. Over 80 countries have joined the "Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative," further strengthening global consensus on poverty reduction.

The country has trained over 400,000 professionals from more than 180 countries in a bid to strengthen their capacity to combat impoverishment and drive sustainable development.

In addition to these initiatives, China is expanding its trade openness with the least developed countries and has pledged to offer zero-tariff treatment on all products from these countries with diplomatic relations with China.

Dennis Munene, executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, emphasized that the launch of tariff-free measures for more African products will help open up China's market of over 1.4 billion people to them.

This move will promote trade and economic development in the poorer countries and help many of them escape absolute poverty, he added.