October 17, 2024, marks a significant milestone as China celebrates its 11th National Poverty Alleviation Day alongside the 32nd International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, poverty alleviation has been a top priority, leading to a comprehensive battle against poverty across the nation.
On February 25, 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China had secured a \"complete victory\" in its fight against poverty, lifting the final 98.99 million rural residents out of poverty and eradicating absolute poverty nationwide. This monumental achievement has profound global implications, with China contributing to the lifting of around 800 million people above the extreme poverty line of $1.9 per day, accounting for approximately 75 percent of the global population uplifted from extreme poverty.
China's success in poverty eradication not only surpassed the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals but also achieved the first Sustainable Development Goal—ending poverty in all its forms everywhere—ten years ahead of schedule. This remarkable progress is attributed to a dual strategy: broad-based economic transformation coupled with targeted poverty alleviation policies.
Since the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, China has experienced rapid economic growth, focusing on education, outward-oriented development, substantial infrastructure investment, macroeconomic stability, and structural policies aligned with comparative advantages. These efforts have accelerated poverty alleviation since the 1980s, setting the stage for more targeted strategies once the poverty rate fell below 10 percent.
Initiated in 2013, China's targeted poverty alleviation strategy provides a detailed framework for identifying and assisting those in need, ensuring a sustainable exit from poverty. Effective governance, characterized by coordination among various government levels and sectors, as well as the mobilization of non-governmental stakeholders, has been pivotal in achieving these goals.
China's willingness to share its poverty alleviation experiences has had a significant impact on other developing regions, particularly in Africa. In 2021, President Xi Jinping announced the establishment of China-Africa joint centers for modern agricultural technology exchange, demonstration, and training, aimed at promoting agricultural modernization in Africa. By 2024, additional partnership actions were proposed to enhance mutual learning, trade prosperity, and industrial chain cooperation.
Chinese institutions and enterprises have also developed demonstration villages for agricultural development and poverty alleviation in Africa, supporting initiatives like \"A Hundred Companies in a Thousand Villages\" launched by the Alliance of Chinese Companies in Africa for Corporate Social Responsibilities. Through the poverty reduction and agricultural development program, China has launched 47 projects providing technical assistance to countries such as Malawi, Burundi, and Cote d'Ivoire. With approximately 9,000 agricultural personnel and 500 experts deployed to Africa, these initiatives have benefited over one million small-scale African farmers, aiding the continent in achieving agricultural modernization.
Reference(s):
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