China has reduced the number of desperately poor in rural areas
from 125 million to 23.65 million since it implemented a
carefully-planned, large-scale campaign against rural poverty in
1986, lifting more than 100 million of its poorest inhabitants out
of poverty.
Tuesday marks the 14th International Day for the Eradication of
Poverty. Liu Jian, director of the State Council Leading Group
Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, the leading organ in
China's poverty reduction efforts, made the remarks at the Poverty
Reduction Seminar for Developing Countries at Ministerial Level
here on Tuesday.
With the sharp decline in its rural poor, China has made a big
contribution to poverty reduction worldwide, Liu said.
Statistics from the World Bank show 75 percent of the people
lifted out of poverty in the developing world since 1980 were
Chinese.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) spoke highly of
China's achievements in its 2005 Human Development Report. If the 1
dollar per day poverty standard is applied, poverty incidence in
China is now half the level of 1990.
Liu said China's poverty reduction efforts are characterized by
government impulsion, social participation, self-reliance and
diverse growth initiatives.
"We will encourage society as a whole to join the poverty
reduction campaign, and encourage the poor to improve their
situation with help from government and through their own efforts,"
he said.
By the end of 2005, villages with roads, electric power,
telephone cables and TV cables made up 79 percent, 95.8 percent,
73.8 percent and 87.6 percent, respectively, of the total number of
villages in the poor counties tagged for national support.
About 70 percent of rural households in these counties have safe
drinking-water. And 94.7 percent of school-age children are
enrolled in primary schools and more and more young people are
being educated in agricultural techniques and other occupational
skills.
About 73 percent of villages were equipped with medical care
rooms and 74 percent enjoyed the services of qualified doctors or
medical staff.
The seminar, co-hosted by the State Council Leading Group Office
of Poverty Alleviation and Development and the Ministry of
Commerce, attracted 20 government officials from 16 countries, as
well as officials from the Chinese government, UN organizations and
foreign embassies to China.
(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2006)