Understanding China’s Fight Against Poverty

Understanding China： Poverty Alleviation

Editor-in-Chief： Hu Fuguo

Price： RMB 118

Hardcover， 415 pages

Published by Foreign Languages Press

POVERTY is a common challenge and a major global issue all countries have to face in their economic and social development. Therefore， the fight against poverty is crucial for the progress of human society.

Helping those in need， improving peoples well-being， and achieving common prosperity remain a highly valued pursuit in Chinese culture. Early in 2015， China essentially realized the United Nations Millennium Development Goals （MDGs） and became the first country to achieve the target set in the MDG report of halving the amount of people suffering from poverty， making a great contribution to the worlds poverty alleviation cause.

In November 2018， at the International Forum on Reform and OpeningUp and Poverty Reduction in China held in Beijing， Jim Yong Kim， then president of the World Bank Group， hailed Chinas achievement in poverty reduction as the country had lifted more than 700 million Chinese out of the distress in just four decades. Chinas share in the worlds economy rose from 1.5 percent in 1978 to 15 percent， and per capita income increased more than 20 times from US $300 in 1978 to US $7，300 in 2017. China is not far from the target of eradicating extreme poverty. More and more countries are now learning from Chinas experience and thus understanding that Chinas reform is becoming more and more important for other nations in the world.

Hu Fuguo， former president of the China Association of Poverty Alleviation and Development， is the editorin-chief of the book， which gives a comprehensive introduction to Chinas poverty alleviation achievements.

The book revolves around three questions. Where does Chinas poverty alleviation approach come from？ What are Chinas poverty alleviation schemes？ And where is Chinas poverty alleviation heading toward？ It introduces the rich contents of Xi Jinpings thoughts on poverty alleviation， while giving a comprehensive retrospect on the history and reality of Chinas fight against poverty. It also summarizes the theories and implementations of Chinas battle against poverty， shows the evolution of reforms carried out by Chinese Communists led by Xi Jinping， and illustrates the countrys aspirations for and wisdom in eradicating poverty in clear language so that readers at home and abroad can get an idea of Chinas stories and experiences in its fight against poverty.

There are 11 chapters in total. Proceeding from Chinas historic achievements， the first three chapters review the process of poverty alleviation and development and expound Chinese theory on this issue in an attempt to trace the origin of Chinas poverty alleviation initiative. After the founding of the Peoples Republic of China， particularly the establishment of the socialist system in China， a solid institutional foundation was laid for poverty eradication. The book reviews in a chronological order the practices of the Chinese people in the fight against poverty under the leadership of the Communist Party of China （CPC）. It presents the theories and practices of the CPC-led poverty eradication efforts in different stages， by setting 1949， 1978， and 2012 as the points of interest on the timeline， in the hope of exploring the origin of Chinas poverty alleviation initiative.

Chapter Four to Nine summarize and present Chinas schemes in the battle， focusing on Xi Jinpings thought and practices in this area. The chapters look at the new governance system for poverty reduction built under the guidance of the thought – a collective embodiment of Chinas wisdom and the key to understanding the countrys efforts in this regard. The top-level design of Chinas poverty eradication program fully demonstrates the national governance system which defines the responsibilities， policies， and mechanisms for inputs， organization， support， supervision， and evaluation. The system provides institutional guarantees for the scheduled resounding victory in the battle against poverty.

The book also expounds the essentials of “targeted poverty alleviation，”revolving around the “six targeted measures” to address the “four questions.”Precision in selecting beneficiaries answers “toward whom poverty alleviation is directed.” Precision in sending the right personnel to impoverished villages answers the question of “who will carry out poverty alleviation.” Precision in project arrangement， fund utilization， and tailoring measures to individual households tackles the question of “how to eliminate poverty.” And precision in delivering outcomes of poverty alleviation answers the question of “how to end poverty elimination measures” when necessary.

On the basis of case studies， the book demonstrates diversified means and methods employed in the fight against poverty in China in the new era， such as developing businesses with local features， supporting surplus labor forces in securing employment in urban areas， relocating residents from uninhabitable areas， combining the poverty reduction with ecological conservation， offering assistance in education and medical services， including the rural poor in a subsistence allowance system， and increasing asset-based incomes. In line with the central leaderships decisions， local governments have implemented targeted measures in light of actual conditions and made all-out efforts to put in place the categorized measures in an orderly way， jointly drawing a vivid picture of the targeted poverty eradication campaign.

It also provides answers to two crucial questions in the usage and management of poverty alleviation funds. First， funding in various forms provides a guarantee for poverty alleviation. Second， supervision and management of poverty alleviation funds are strengthened to increase the transparency and efficiency of these funds.

The book analyses the special circumstances of areas with deep-rooted poverty， introduces the poverty-relief policy system and practical strategies combining universality and specificity which target those areas. Then it examines how the Chinese government strengthens the endogenous dynamics of the povertystricken population from the perspective of empowerment， and summarizes the policies， aid and support mechanisms targeting certain poor groups， such as left-behind children， women， the aged， and people with disabilities in the areas suffering from extreme poverty.

Chapter 10 shares the story of Chinas interaction with the rest of the world in poverty alleviation. The great achievements of Chinas efforts toward poverty alleviation and development have contributed greatly to the global fight against poverty， and provided Chinese wisdom and solutions to the world. China is even more vigorously pursuing the initiative to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Chapter 11 concludes the book. It looks ahead to Chinas work on poverty alleviation after 2020， and proceeds to elaborate on where the poverty alleviation initiative will go.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping said on the Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum in 2015， China has devoted itself to eradicating poverty， actively participated in South-South Cooperation， provided assistance to other developing countries within its capability without any political conditions， and supported and helped developing countries， especially the least developed countries， to eradicate poverty. Together with the worlds countries， China is committed to building a community with a shared future for mankind， where there is no poverty， but shared prosperity， he said.