INP-WealthPk

Poverty Alleviation: Lessons to Learn from China

November 05, 2021

by Samia Khalid ISLAMABAD, Nov 05 (INP-WealthPK): China’s poverty-reduction strategies have paved new avenues for poverty reduction in other countries. China fulfilled its aim of ending absolute poverty by the end of 2020. Almost 98.99 million individuals living below the current poverty line have been pulled out of it. According to the latest statistics available at WDI, in 2019 there was the lowest figure of poverty at 0.6 as a percentage of the total population. This indicates that China has succeeded in eradicating severe poverty and achieving the "impossible task". There are important points that are worth sharing about poverty alleviation in China. Source: World Development Indicators (WDI) by World Bank To begin with, there is a major role of the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in alleviating poverty in the country. The present year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of CPC, which has always taken a people-centred approach, regardless of local or international conditions. It has stayed true to its initial goal of delivering happiness to the Chinese people and national rejuvenation by uniting and leading the people in the battle against poverty from the front. In the new age, China's poverty-eradication effort is a comprehensive and vivid embodiment of the CPC's goal of the entire service of the people. Secondly, China's poverty alleviation is a shining example of "equality" in action as it encompasses the whole Chinese population. China makes sure that nobody will be free of poverty until everyone is free of poverty, and that no one will be left behind in the fight against poverty in the journey. The number of impoverished people fell by 15.6 million in the three provinces and five autonomous areas with a substantial multi-ethnic population, including Xinjiang. To summarise, China's achievements in alleviating poverty are also a huge contribution to the global cause of poverty reduction. Poverty is a long-term ailment that plagues human civilisation and it also brings up a slew of other issues, such as sickness, and societal strife, all of which stymie people's efforts to live better lives. It's a problem that everyone in the world has to deal with. China is willing to actively share its poverty alleviation experience with collaboration with other countries in the pursuit of development. Being an iron brother and a major partner in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan has a unique chance to collaborate and learn from China's experience in eradicating poverty. Though the Covid-19 pandemic has reversed the progress made by Pakistan and other countries to reduce poverty, blaming the pandemic completely as a reason behind the slowing down of efforts to achieve the poverty reduction target by 2030 is not entirely fair. Even before the pandemic started, UN projections suggested that globally 6 per cent of the population would still be living in extreme poverty. China, on the other hand, has experienced success despite the pandemic by successfully fulfilling its objective of eradicating severe poverty at the end of 2020, thanks to resolute leadership, appropriate measures and also the support of people. Pakistan has set aside approximately Rs 260 billion under the Ehsaas welfare programme to be disbursed among the poorest of the poor to support them in the hard times.