Eradicating Absolute Poverty, China Can Make It

THIS year is the final stretch in China’s anti-poverty campaign, which intends to lift all rural residents still languishing in poverty in the country above the currently set poverty

- TAN WEIPING

A Panorama of Abuluoha Village in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture after a country road linking the once-isolated village with the outside world came into use.line and mark the completion of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

Before the campaign draws to a successful close, there are still some hard nuts to crack. But with targeted aid measures and innovative development approaches, China has opened up a new path and found the recipe for success in poverty reduction.

Improving Infrastructure

Since 2012, China has steadily increased investment in roads, power grids, water supply, Internet connectivity, and other infrastructure, shoring up the foundation for rural development. By the end of 2018, almost all poor rural areas had access to electricity and drinkable water; 99.2 percent of rural communities had access to landline phones, 88.1 percent of them have access to cable TV, and 81.9 percent of them have access to broadband Internet respectively; living and working conditions in rural China have been significantly improved.

Through relocation to more habitable regions, many rural residents have left poverty behind. By the end of April 2020, 9.52 million registered low-income rural residents had moved into new homes away from their original residences. In 90 percent of these relocated low-income households with able-bodied working-age members, at least one member has employment. About 9.2 million people have risen above poverty through such relocation.