SOURCE / ECONOMY
Specialized system ensures China's goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects
Specialized system ensures China’s goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects
Published: Jun 09, 2020 05:53 PM

An aerial view of a village in the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Sichuan Province in May Photo: Xinhua



Graphics: GT



Shen Xiang, who is in charge of poverty alleviation work in the Xide county of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, turned on his computer at 9 am on Sunday and began a normal day of work, checking processes and new work guidelines from a superior administrative unit.

As the deadline for China's 2012 goal to eliminate absolute poverty is the end of 2020, governments from provincial to county levels in Sichuan have strengthened efforts to fight poverty. 

"We must visit people house-by-house every month to check their livelihood and ensure the rural poor in our county do not have to worry about food, clothing and access to compulsory education, basic medical services and safe housing," Shen said.

To win the battle against poverty this year, the provincial government launched several measures including irregular inspections to ensure the best results, Shen said. He often works over 16 hours a day, sometimes overnight, and he doesn't remember how many times he has worked through weekends.

"I have been working on this intense schedule since 2018, when the battle against poverty in China entered its final stage. The work can sometimes be even more challenging when people return to poverty due to illness or emergency," Shen told the Global Times.

But Shen, who began poverty alleviation work in 2014 in poverty-stricken Xide, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, said that even though the work is not easy, he felt proud of himself because he has changed many people's lives.

Historic achievement 

His efforts to fight poverty are bearing fruit as 108 out of 136 villages in his county had by the end of 2019 been identified as having been lifted out of poverty, and poverty is set to be eliminated in the last 28 villages by the end of this year.

Official data showed that as of the end of 2019, the Chinese population living below the poverty line has dropped to 5.51 million, down from 98.99 million in 2012 - nearly a 95 percent decrease in seven years. The poverty occurrence ratio declined from 10.2 percent in 2012 to 0.6 percent in 2019.

In a bylined article published on May 31, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China has basically achieved its goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, adding that "the results have been even better than expected." 

Weaknesses to be addressed 

Pointing to some areas of weakness that need to be strengthened through prompt efforts, the article published on Qiushi Journal called for targeted measures.

Criteria for a moderately prosperous society in all respects should include not only quantitative indicators but also a careful assessment of people's actual living standards and sense of fulfillment, the article said.

Stressing the need to identify and take stock of the prominent weaknesses and tasks that must be completed, the article emphasized that efforts to fix weak links should be focused on impoverished citizens who are old, weak, ill or disabled, or in regions of extreme poverty, and on areas such as environmental protection, public services and infrastructure where weaknesses are prominent.

"The article started from a macroscopic perspective to review China's general poverty alleviation progress, and conclusions on the issues and challenges are very practical," Shen said. 

The main tasks are now to fully eradicate poverty, solve prominent issues concerning environmental pollution in major areas, and advance work on people's wellbeing.

Full of confidence

"Building a moderately prosperous society in all respects involves a wide range of issues, however, strengthening areas of weakness is a task that must be fulfilled," the article said.

Party committees and governments at all levels must earnestly perform their responsibilities, according to the article, which urged officials and cadres to focus on the goal and achieve it through concrete actions while uniting and leading the people to work diligently.

Tian Yun, vice director of the Beijing Economic Operation Association, told the Global Times that from the macro prospective, China now has plenty of capital and an adequate production capacity and labor force, which offer material guarantees for China in achieving its goal.

Additionally, China's special organizational system pairs relatively developed provinces in eastern China with provinces from western parts of the country so that they can help one another. It is a system rarely seen in Western countries and ensures a moderately prosperous society in all respects can be built," Tian said.

At the beginning of the year, the Xide county government combed through its remaining tasks and made a detailed plan to lift the final 28 left villages out of poverty.

"With the strict and detailed work arrangement and the central government's supporting measures, I am confident that we can meet the poverty alleviation goal," Shen said.