Poverty Reduction Miracles

by Li Gang

Chinas battle against poverty has reached the final stretch.

In November 2012， the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China（CPC） set the goal of completing the construction of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020. Lifting all impoverished people out of poverty is a key task for the country. “We will make sure that no one is left behind on our way to prosperity，” stressed Chinese President Xi Jinping， signaling that Chinas fight against poverty would not end until the battle is over. The poor population in rural areas dropped from 98.99 million in 2012 to 16.6 million in 2018， lifting 82.39 million out of poverty and cutting the poverty incidence rate from 10.2 to 1.7 percent. China has created a miracle in poverty alleviation. What is the secret behind the countrys success in poverty reduction？ Fengdu has some answers.

Top Design + Grassroots Practice

Bidding farewell to their families， many officials from cities were posted in Fengdu to engage in poverty reduction work. They can be seen in poor mountain villages， working and eating with locals. In order to help people escape poverty， they brainstorm strategies as they visit and talk to villagers.

Once a poor villager calls， the officials immediately go to help. “Even if its a problem we cannot solve at the moment， we still go to the spot，” says one of the officials.“Villagers are reassured just by seeing us.”

Poverty eradication has been driving grassroots officials career devotion and making their lives more meaningful. Meanwhile， the promotion system of the Chinese government gives incentive to officials who could be promoted due to outstanding performances in poverty alleviation. The responsibility system， regulation system， policy system， working mechanism and social mobilization system have all been set up in accordance with the top design of the Chinese government.

Poverty reduction requires skills and methodology in addition to enthusiasm. Since the Chinese government launched the targeted poverty alleviation strategy， many officials have been trained in poverty alleviation techniques—7.79 million persontimes in 2018. And 94.2 percent of trainees are grassroots officials from the county level or below.

Flexible and Practical Wisdom

During his June 2015 visit to Guizhou Province， Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the targeted approach to alleviating poverty， which he believes will determine the success of the countrys poverty alleviation drive. Targeted poverty alleviation has always been the focus of Chinas work in this field. In each individual town and village， poverty-combating officials at all levels must consider the actual local conditions and prescribe remedies accordingly.