Eradicating poverty of mind

“We must eradicate the ‘poverty’ that exists in our minds before we eradicate it in the regions we govern, before we can help the people and the nation out of poverty and embark on the road to prosperity.” These are the concluding remarks by President Xi Jinping from his book “Up and Out of Poverty,” a collection of 29 speeches and articles written during the years Xi served in Ningde prefecture of Fujian province. Xi’s thought on poverty reduction has been the guiding principle, which further paved the way for a moderately prosperous society.

Today, on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, these words are even more pertinent than ever. Designated in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is marked on October 17 each year with the goal to not only raise awareness of extreme poverty, but also to achieve greater social inclusion across the societies, and hear the voice of the hundreds of millions of people who still live below the international poverty line of $ 1.90 a day. The majority of the affected populations are women and children who live in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, according to UN data.

In 2014, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China decided to set up a National Poverty Alleviation Day to be commemorated also on October 17, a date that coincides with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Such action is remarkable and demonstrates CPC and Chinese government’s strong will to combat poverty and to support impoverished people’s cause for better life. Since China’s reform and opening-up more than 40 years ago, the country has made astonishing efforts to fight against poverty.

In 1987, Joseph Wresinski, the founder of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, wrote, “wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty.” Having successfully lifted around 800 million people out of poverty is one of China’s greatest contributions to the development human rights.

Since the 19th CPC National Congress, the battle against poverty has been further strengthened. In fact, under the visionary leadership of CPC, all rural residents living below the current poverty line will get out of poverty by 2020. In this battle, the CPC leadership will mobilize all forces from the Party, nation and society to implement targeted poverty reduction while fostering confidence among the impoverished people.

According to data from the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development (LGOP), over the past 5 years, the scale of poverty in China dropped significantly, with a decrease of 98.88 million of rural population in 2012 to 30.46 in 2017, with a total decline of 68.53 million and annual drop of 13.7 million. Furthermore, according to national statistics, in 2017 the per-capita disposable income of rural population reached 9377 yuan, an increase of 50 percent, if compared with that of 2013.

These are some of China’s greatest accomplishments in the field of poverty reduction, which need to be shared at a global level because they represent an important stimulus for other developing countries and regions in their own fight against poverty. Today, we commemorate not only the international efforts in poverty reduction, but also reflect on the achievements and the work that still remains to be done together.

Only with a poverty reduction mentality, can we build resilient nations and societies allowing people from around the world to have equal access to opportunities. The efforts in bringing effective opportunities through fighting poverty are without doubt China’s greatest contribution to human rights globally and serve as reference for the international community.

The author is a graduate in China Studies and International Relations at Peking University and the London School of Economics. Currently, he is working in the fields of development and public policy.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.