Latest News

Han Jun

People's Daily (2025-01-15 Edition 09)

At the 19th G20 Summit, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech entitled "Building a Just World of Common Development", stressing: "The problem of poverty in developing countries can be solved, and the weak birds can fly first and fly high. China can succeed, and so can other developing countries. This is the global significance of China's success in winning the battle against poverty. President Xi Jinping's eloquent words have injected strong confidence and impetus into the "Global South", which is striving to lift itself out of poverty, demonstrating the responsibility of a responsible major country to the cause of global development, and contributing China's wisdom to the common prosperity of the world.

Great practice produces great theory, and great theory guides great practice. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has created a great history of human poverty alleviation with great mission, great wisdom and great feelings, built a set of effective policy systems, work systems and institutional systems, embarked on a path of poverty alleviation with Chinese characteristics, formed an anti-poverty theory with Chinese characteristics, and wrote a beautiful chapter of "China should make greater contributions to mankind". The theory and practice of poverty alleviation have become one of the most symbolic political, economic, livelihood and social achievements since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. 2024 is the fourth year of winning the battle against poverty and entering the transition period, and China has firmly maintained the bottom line of not returning to poverty on a large scale. Practice has proved that China's achievements in poverty alleviation have withstood the test of history and the people, and the anti-poverty theory with Chinese characteristics has become a valuable asset for the world's poverty alleviation cause. We need to accurately and comprehensively understand the global significance of China's poverty alleviation, and in the process of strengthening exchanges and cooperation with other countries in poverty reduction, we should work together to promote the international poverty reduction process and make greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind without poverty and common development.

China's poverty alleviation is of great global significance

Over the past 100 years, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people have made significant contributions to the cause of human anti-poverty with their own development, from liberation to solving the problem of food and clothing, from basic well-off to all-round well-off, from poverty alleviation to promoting Chinese-style modernization.

China's success in poverty alleviation has significantly reduced the size of the world's poor. Since the beginning of reform and opening up, more than 800 million people in China have been lifted out of poverty, contributing more than 70% to world poverty reduction. A 2019 study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) found that if China is not included, global poverty is increasing, rather than decreasing. Against the backdrop of severe global poverty and a widening gap between the rich and the poor in some countries, China has won the battle against poverty and achieved the poverty reduction goal of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule, greatly accelerating the global poverty reduction process and writing a new chapter in the history of human anti-poverty.

China's success in poverty alleviation has given the Global South more confidence to lift itself out of poverty. As a large developing country with a large population and a weak foundation, it is extremely extraordinary and difficult for China to completely shake off absolute poverty. It is precisely this difficulty that makes China's poverty alleviation experience of broad global significance. In 2012, the per capita GDP of Chinese was US$6,300, while the per capita GDP of Brazil, which was also the "Global South" at the time, exceeded US$12,000. After eight years, the average annual growth rate of Chinese per capita GDP is 8.1%, exceeding 10,400 US dollars in 2020, achieving rapid development and large-scale poverty reduction and absolute poverty eradication, which is a remarkable miracle and the best footnote that "China can succeed, and other developing countries can also succeed". Peruvian President Boluarte previously said in an interview with Chinese reporters: "I hope to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, build a country with long-term prospects, and hope that we can also become a country like China." "Khon Kaen, Thailand's fourth-most populous province, has learned from China's concept of targeted poverty alleviation and achieved remarkable results, and local officials believe that China has not only taught the world the importance of targeted poverty alleviation and the possibility of poverty alleviation, but also provided the courage and experience to solve the problem of poverty. China has made incomparable achievements in poverty alleviation, which have been widely recognized and praised by international public opinion, and have a strong stand, loud and influential impact in the world.

China's achievements in poverty alleviation have withstood the test of history and practice, proving to the world that poverty can be ended and eliminated. After winning the battle against poverty in an all-round way, the Party Central Committee set up a five-year transition period to "help and give a ride" to the areas and people who have been lifted out of poverty, promote the adjustment and optimization of assistance policies on the basis of overall stability, continue to improve the dynamic monitoring and assistance mechanism to prevent the return to poverty, early detection, early intervention, and early assistance, and promptly eliminate the risk of returning to poverty. By the end of 2024, the country has helped more than 5 million monitoring objects to prevent the return to poverty and poverty to steadily eliminate the risk, and the rest have also implemented assistance measures, and 832 poverty alleviation counties have cultivated and formed leading industries with outstanding advantages and strong driving ability, and the employment scale of the poverty alleviation population has reached 33.052 million, and the per capita disposable income of farmers in poverty alleviation counties in the first three quarters of 2024 was 12,384 yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.5%, firmly guarding the bottom line of not returning to poverty on a large scale. This also fully shows the world that poverty is not only overcome, but also can be stopped and not recurred under the premise of establishing a reliable and effective follow-up assistance mechanism.

China's poverty alleviation has explored a new path for human poverty alleviation

Poverty eradication is a global challenge. Different countries have different national conditions and different stages of development, and the standards, methods, paths and means of poverty reduction are also different. China's poverty alleviation is based on its own national conditions, deeply grasps the characteristics of China's poverty and the laws of poverty governance, and "always adheres to the people-centered approach, and solemnly promises that 'no poor area or poor people will be left behind'." Adhere to targeted poverty alleviation, and implement policies according to villages, households, and people. Persist in alleviating poverty through economic development, and actively guide the flow of talent, capital, and technology to poverty-stricken areas. Persist in poverty alleviation in promoting the development of local characteristic industries, help poor areas improve infrastructure, and develop industries with 'hematopoietic' functions in accordance with local conditions. Persist in poverty alleviation while promoting common prosperity, and promote 'pairing' and mutual assistance between developed and underdeveloped regions. "China's valuable experience in poverty alleviation belongs to both China and the world, expanding the anti-poverty thinking of mankind and exploring a new path for human poverty reduction.

Always adhere to the people-centered. General Secretary Xi Jinping affectionately pointed out: "I have worked in China's villages, counties, cities, provinces, and central governments, and poverty alleviation is an important part of my work, and it is also a major event that I am determined to accomplish." "The Communist Party of China is a political party with lofty ambitions, and the goal of the Communist Party of China is, in the final analysis, to enable all the people to live a good life. Since the beginning of the new era, the CPC Central Committee has taken poverty alleviation as a hard task that must be completed to build a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way and realize the first centenary goal, and has been deployed in the overall economic and social development, and has introduced a series of unconventional policy measures, which in itself is a great choice made with the people as the center. In the eight years of poverty alleviation, General Secretary Xi Jinping has presided over 7 central poverty alleviation work forums, conducted more than 50 in-depth research on poverty alleviation work at the grassroots level, and traveled to 14 concentrated contiguous poverty-stricken areas across the country. The whole party is united, and provinces, cities, counties, townships (towns), and villages have issued "military orders" at all levels, signed letters of responsibility, and implemented the first-in-command responsibility system for poverty alleviation. The majority of party members and cadres go to the mission with enthusiasm and fulfill their promises with action, and more than 3 million first secretaries and cadres stationed in villages have taken root in the front line and worked hard. On the battlefield of poverty alleviation, more than 1,800 party members and cadres sacrificed their precious lives for the cause of poverty alleviation, and practiced the party's commitment to the people with practical actions. It can be said that the battle against poverty in the new era has profoundly interpreted the people-centered development thinking of the Chinese Communists, and is the most concentrated, fullest and most vivid embodiment of the CPC's purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly in the new era. Throughout the history of mankind's long-term struggle against poverty, poverty eradication is by no means a natural process of economic development, and it requires the entire society and the country to make trade-offs. China's poverty alleviation practice shows that only by truly putting the interests of the people first can the arduous practice of poverty reduction have an unswerving driving force, a clear direction for progress, and a strong institutional guarantee.

Adhere to targeted poverty alleviation. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Poverty alleviation and development are important in precision, and the success or failure lies in precision. "There are hundreds of kinds of poverty, there are thousands of kinds of poverty, and the problem of poverty is diverse and complex, so it is necessary to base ourselves on national conditions and scientifically formulate poverty reduction strategies according to different stages of development and levels of economic and social development. At the end of 2012, the proportion of poor people in our country was about 10% of the total population, entering the internationally recognized "most difficult stage" of poverty reduction. The "targeted poverty alleviation" strategy proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping is timely, answering a series of difficult problems in poverty alleviation work, such as "who to support, who to support, how to support, and how to retreat", and determining the operable poverty alleviation indicators of "two worries and three guarantees", the poverty alleviation path has changed from "flood irrigation" to "precise drip irrigation", the use of resources has changed from multiple scattered to co-ordinated, and the poverty alleviation mode has changed from "blood transfusion" to "hematopoiesis". It can be said that without the theoretical innovation of "precision", China would not have achieved the miracle of poverty reduction in eight years to lift nearly 100 million poor people out of poverty. China's poverty alleviation practice shows that the occurrence and evolution of poverty have its own characteristics and laws, and poverty reduction must proceed from reality, according to different poor people and the causes of poverty, according to the time, situation, and local conditions, and constantly promote institutional innovation and practical innovation with theoretical innovation, so as to achieve the ideal poverty governance efficiency. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: "Targeted poverty alleviation is the only way to help the poor and achieve the ambitious goals set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and China's experience can provide useful lessons for other developing countries." ”

Persist in poverty alleviation through economic development. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that "development is the general way to get rid of the hat of poverty" and "take development as the fundamental way to solve poverty". Poverty is, in the final analysis, a development issue. In the history of the global fight against poverty, there have been various theoretical and practical explorations. There is a view that poverty can be eradicated by relying on welfare assistance; There is also an argument that as material wealth grows, poverty will be solved naturally, even without social policy intervention. However, practice has proved that relying solely on bailouts will lead to a decline in economic efficiency; Relying solely on growth will lead to a widening gap between the rich and the poor. Poverty alleviation without economic development is tantamount to seeking fish from the wood; If we only care about economic growth and ignore the development of poor groups, we will inevitably fall into a "lame economy", which will eventually affect the healthy and sustainable development of the economy. For the poor people, by mastering a skill, devoting themselves to an industry, relying on their own efforts to feed their families and serve the society, they can firmly grasp the "golden key" to a happy life in their own hands. For poverty-stricken areas, a place can have industries and promote employment, and only by combining internal and external can it develop. As far as national development is concerned, only by making up for the shortcomings of economic and social development and completely eradicating poverty can we promote the growth of the country's total economic output, smooth the economic cycle of urban and rural areas, and ultimately lay a solid foundation for the sustained and healthy development of the national economy. China's poverty alleviation practice shows that poverty alleviation through economic development and economic development through poverty alleviation is the most effective way to get rid of poverty.

Persist in poverty alleviation in promoting the development of local characteristic industries. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Industrial poverty alleviation is the most direct and effective method, and it is also a long-term plan to enhance the hematopoietic function in poor areas and help the masses to find employment on the spot." Although many poverty-stricken areas are relatively economically backward, they have abundant natural resources, characteristic production techniques and unique folk culture, which are potential advantages to support the development of local characteristic industries. During the period of poverty alleviation, a large number of characteristic and advantageous industries, such as navel oranges in southern Gansu, apples in Luochuan, grass fruits in Nujiang, potatoes in Dingxi, barley in Tibet, yaks in Qinghai, and walnuts and jujubes in Xinjiang, have begun to take shape. In the development stage of consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation and effectively connecting with rural revitalization, many characteristic industries have not only become the "golden burden" for the people who have been lifted out of poverty to increase their income and become rich, but also grown into pillar industries in some places, playing an important role in promoting the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas. The development of characteristic industries in poverty-stricken areas can not only directly bring economic benefits to poverty-stricken areas and poor people, but more importantly, the process of industrial development is also an important process to tap the development potential of poverty-stricken areas, stimulate the endogenous motivation of poverty-stricken people, and give them the ability to develop independently. China's poverty alleviation practice shows that the "characteristic card" in the underdeveloped regions can be transformed into the "advantage card". As long as the characteristic industries of the underdeveloped areas are cultivated and developed according to local conditions, the endogenous motivation of the local people to be self-reliant and work hard, and the poor people are closely connected to the industrial chain, the underdeveloped areas will be able to overcome poverty and share the fruits of economic development.

Persist in poverty alleviation while promoting common prosperity. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed: "China will continue to consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, solidly promote common prosperity, and continuously improve people's livelihood and well-being. "Common prosperity is the essential requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and it is also our goal, and it is also a historical process in which the first rich lead the latter to become rich, and it is advanced in stages and echelons. Winning the battle against poverty is the premise and foundation for achieving common prosperity, and bringing together all parties to form a strong synergy to narrow the development gap between developed and underdeveloped regions is our valuable experience in winning the battle against poverty, and it is also a consistent and strong guarantee for us to consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, our party has relied on a strict organizational system and an efficient operating mechanism to extensively and effectively mobilize and unite the forces of all parties to build a large-scale poverty alleviation pattern in which the government, society and market are coordinated and special poverty alleviation, industry poverty alleviation and social poverty alleviation complement each other. This process promotes the combination and mutual achievement of advanced elements such as technology, capital and management in developed areas and advantageous factors such as labor, natural resources and market potential in underdeveloped areas. It has formed a whole-society poverty alleviation participation mechanism that everyone is willing to do, everyone can do, and everyone can do; It has carried forward the fine tradition of the Chinese nation of helping the poor and helping each other, stimulated the positive energy of the whole society for good, and demonstrated the core values of socialism. China's poverty alleviation practice shows that poverty alleviation is an arduous and complex system project, and it is necessary to mobilize and unite the majestic anti-poverty forces, unite as one, and work together in order to finally defeat the stubborn disease of poverty.

Work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind for common development

Poverty eradication is a common goal of all countries in the world, and it is an urgent need that has broad resonance in the "Global South". China has always been an active advocate, strong promoter and continuous contributor to the global cause of poverty reduction. At a time when the world economy is struggling to recover slowly, the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook released in October last year maintained its global economic growth forecast for 2024 at 3.2%. In this context, the "Global South" poverty reduction work is facing greater challenges, with global hunger levels remaining high for several consecutive years, with about 713 million to 757 million people facing hunger in 2023, with a median of 733 million, an increase of about 152 million people from 2019, and about 1.1 billion people living in extreme poverty. We need to implement the important concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping, actively share the experience of poverty alleviation with other countries in the world, and work with the international community to help more developing countries find a path to poverty reduction that suits their own national conditions, and work together to promote the development of international poverty reduction.

We will continue to consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, and further strengthen the confidence of developing countries in lifting themselves out of poverty. Poverty is a persistent disease of human society. "Stubborn disease" means that it is not only difficult to treat and cannot be cured for a long time, but may also recur. 2025 is the last year of the five-year transition period to consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. After the end of the transition period, we will stand on a higher historical dimension, take the prevention of large-scale return to poverty as a long-term and permanent bottom-line task, improve the normalized mechanism for preventing the return to poverty covering the rural population, and the hierarchical and categorical assistance system for the rural low-income population and underdeveloped areas, and promote the perfect combination of the work of preventing the return to poverty and rural revitalization, and plan and advance it in an integrated manner.

Deepen international cooperation on poverty reduction, and provide path support for the continued development of global poverty reduction. As a member of the Global South, China has been actively carrying out South-South cooperation and supporting and helping developing countries, especially the least developed countries, to eradicate poverty. After China's victory in poverty alleviation, many countries have a strong demand to learn from our country's poverty reduction experience. We need to tell the story of China's poverty alleviation and let the world know about China's poverty reduction experience. Agricultural science and technology is a powerful starting point for carrying out foreign agricultural cooperation and promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. We must continue to promote agricultural materials, agricultural machinery, agricultural technology, etc. to go global, implement agricultural aid projects, narrow the distance between the hearts and minds of the people of the "Belt and Road" countries, and bring a real sense of gain to more people in developing countries.

The international situation is changing and intertwined, and global challenges such as climate change, food security, and energy security are emerging one after another. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The ancient Chinese said that 'we are in the same boat', and now the international community needs to 'help each other in the same boat'. "We need to accurately and comprehensively understand the global significance of China's poverty alleviation, and on the basis of adhering to the bottom line of not returning to poverty on a large scale, we should make every effort to promote Chinese-style modernization, light up the light of thought for building a just world of common development, and promote the revitalization of the "Global South" in development, so as to make greater contributions to building a better world.(The author is Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs)