Chinese wisdom and experience a boon for global poverty alleviation efforts

(MA XUEJING / CHINA DAILY)

This year is a milestone for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, as the country vows to eradicate absolute poverty in this year, and complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and achieve its first centenary goal.

Over the past 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, especially since the launch of reform and opening-up 41 years ago, 740 million people in China have been lifted out of poverty, accounting for more than 70 percent of the global total in the same period.

The original aspiration and the mission of the Communist Party of China was to seek happiness for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. 

The CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core has put forward the governance philosophy of poverty alleviation, which is that all Chinese people should strive for common prosperity. General Secretary Xi has stressed that “no one should be left behind on the road to prosperity”. This is China’s solemn commitment to poverty alleviation, and it is also a guide to poverty alleviation work.

In recent years, with poverty alleviation work entering a critical period, China has taken targeted poverty alleviation as its basic strategy, emphasized fine-tuned management and accurate allocation of resources.

The great efforts made by the CPC and the Chinese government mean the ambitious goal of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects will be achieved this year. China’s strategic thinking and scientific plan for targeted poverty alleviation mean that no one will be left behind. The most essential change is people’s mindset, and they acted on their own initiative to combat poverty.

In today’s world, unbalanced and inadequate development is still prevalent, the gap between the North and the South is still huge, and poverty and hunger are still serious. Poverty and its associated problems of hunger, disease and social conflict continue to plague many developing countries. 

Xi has put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, to solve the problems of unbalanced development, the governance dilemma, digital divide and resources gap.

Adhering to the concept of poverty reduction through joint efforts, common governance and shared benefits and the concept of development-oriented poverty alleviation, China has combined green development with targeted poverty alleviation, and combined its own poverty alleviation with international poverty alleviation.

While promoting poverty alleviation at home, China has been a strong advocate of global poverty reduction. Over the past 70 years, China has provided more than 400 billion yuan (US$58 billion) in aid to nearly 170 countries and international organizations, carried out more than 5,000 foreign aid projects, sent more than 600,000 aid workers, trained more than 12 million people for developing countries, and helped more than 120 developing countries to meet the Millennium Development Goals.

Two thousand five hundred years ago, Confucius said: “Education should be provided to all people without discrimination.” On Nov 1, 2018, the foundation was laid for a new school in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, which was being built with China’s aid, and it will be completed soon. 

The new building, two blocks from the old one, will have nine classrooms and a “Confucius classroom”. Maria Sum, the principal, said the school’s hardware has improved greatly thanks to China’s help, and the curriculum has become more extensive, with Confucius Institute teachers giving regular classes. 

The school has organized teachers and students to visit China for two years in a row, and the experience of studying in China has inspired the children’s enthusiasm and motivation for learning. 

Fernando Lugris, Uruguayan ambassador to China, told reporters that the Chinese aid had given the children hope that “when they see the new school building in the Casavalle district, they will believe that a better future awaits them”.

Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, China stands ready to uphold justice and pursue shared interests, and to work with other countries, including Uruguay, to pool their wisdom to jointly tackle the challenge of poverty and make unremitting efforts to build a community of a shared better future for mankind.

The author is China’s ambassador to Uruguay. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. 

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.