Striving for a Better Life for the People: China's Practical and Theoretical Innovations in Consolidating and Expanding Poverty Alleviation Achievement (Part 5)
Chapter Five: China’s Poverty Reduction - Actions and International Cooperation
In today’s piece, we are briefing you on the fifth and last chapter of our report, “Striving for a Better Life for the People: China's Practical and Theoretical Innovations in Consolidating and Expanding Poverty Alleviation Achievement.” We would love to answer any questions you might have so be sure to drop a like, comment, and subscribe for more!
China’s success in poverty reduction is largely attributed to its inclusive adoption of best international practices, as well as the localization and innovative application of international experience, and in turn, it has promoted global progress in poverty alleviation. By the end of 2024, China had provided development assistance to over 160 countries and jointly advanced the Belt and Road Initiative with more than 150. Since its launch over three years ago, the Global Development Initiative has mobilized close to USD 20 billion in development funding, implemented over 1,100 projects, and brought tangible benefits to people in numerous countries.
China has drawn upon global concepts such as microfinance, social security, and targeted identification, and tailored them with its own hallmarks: government leadership, precision policy-implementing, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and institutional safeguards. These elements have crystallized in measures such as "targeted poverty alleviation," "development-based alleviation," and "minimum living guarantees." Based on these practices, China has actively participated in international poverty reduction cooperation, delivering practical solutions to many countries. With an open and inclusive stance, China has championed the global cause of poverty reduction, demonstrating its commitment as a responsible country.
1. Demand-Oriented Assistance: China's Global Contribution to Inclusive Development
China has applied the principles of "targeted" and "demand-driven" poverty alleviation to its international poverty alleviation cooperation, launching a host of projects that are visible and tangible, and deliver rapid results. Programs such as the "Smiling Children" school meal initiative have reached millions of children. China has also supported the construction of schools and hospitals to enhance local education and healthcare infrastructure, winning widespread acclaim from the international community. These initiatives reflect a careful attention to the concrete livelihood needs of the recipient countries. Through such efforts, China has not only achieved effective results but has also conveyed its vision of global governance featuring joint construction and shared benefits, injecting momentum into inclusive development worldwide.
Former Nepali Ambassador to China Leela Mani Paudyal noted that the China Foundation for Rural Development has contributed to poverty alleviation in Nepal by supporting education, healthcare, and economic development, as well as responding to disasters. The organization has provided students with school bags, stationery, and nutritious meals, helping increase enrollment rates. It has offered skills training to villagers, distributed seeds, saplings, and farming equipment, and enhanced agricultural productivity, farmland yields, and incomes. It has also actively backed the construction of basic infrastructure, such as water supplies, school buildings, and health centers, and delivered emergency aid in the wake of natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, improving local living conditions.
In Myanmar’s Naypyidaw region, the villages of Minbin and Aikyaungda once grappled with muddy roads, rudimentary housing, and limited access to clean drinking water and electricity. The arrival of Chinese experts brought about a tremendous transformation in the lives of the villagers. Between 2018 and 2020, the Yunnan Provincial Rural Revitalization Development and Cooperation Center spearheaded the China–East Asia Poverty Alleviation Demonstration Cooperation and Technological Assistance Project (Myanmar). Launched in February 2018, the initiative brought transformative infrastructure to the two pilot villages, building roads, water supply systems, community centers, and school buildings. Beyond physical improvements, the project offered training in farming and animal husbandry, along with workshops on community governance, combining "hard infrastructure" with "soft cooperation" to enhance local well-being. By December 2020, the project was formally handed over to the Myanmar government, marking a new milestone in China–Myanmar collaboration and reaffirming the enduring pauk-phaw friendship between the two nations.
Similar stories are unfolding across the globe: In Cambodia, the China–Cambodia Friendship Poverty Alleviation Demonstration Village has brightened local lives. In Madagascar, under the direct guidance of Chinese agricultural experts, farmer Tina dramatically increased her hybrid rice yields. In Fiji, China’s Juncao mushroom technology has produced high-quality edible and medicinal fungi, while also serving as superior livestock feed to boost the animal husbandry sector. In Guyana, solar-powered street lights donated by a Chinese enterprise now illuminate Moraikobai village at night, enhancing safety for all villagers. Each of these cooperation stories demonstrates that China is an active promoter and continuous contributor to global poverty reduction.
China has expanded its unilateral opening-up to the least developed countries, announcing zero tariffs on 100% of tariff lines for all such nations that have diplomatic relations with China, thereby providing tangible market opportunities for poverty reduction in the most vulnerable countries. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega affirmed that China has not only lifted hundreds of millions of its own people out of poverty but also made major contributions to promoting world peace and to improving the well-being of people in developing regions, particularly in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, bringing about hope and injecting strength into the world.
2. Systemic Empowerment: Efficiently Providing Public Goods to Advance Global Sustainable Development
China is committed to providing systematic support for global poverty reduction by offering technology transfer, financial assistance, capacity building, and platform development to help developing countries strengthen their own growth momentum.
China has shared its poverty reduction experience through international training programs and demonstration projects. By providing both online and offline training programs for local officials and communities, China has enhanced poverty reduction capacities and promoted sustainable development in partner countries. The construction of agricultural technology demonstration centers and the rollout of related technology promotion projects have enhanced productivity and incomes in many countries. In fulfilling its responsibility as a major country in advancing global poverty reduction process, China has implemented agricultural South-South cooperation initiatives, agricultural assistance programs, and poverty alleviation demonstration projects, spanning Africa, Asia, and Latin America, training tens of thousands of participants and significantly strengthening local poverty alleviation capacity. Chinese experts worked directly in rural fields, offering hands-on instruction in agricultural techniques, supporting local industrial upgrading, and putting the philosophy of "teaching people how to fish" into practice. These efforts have ensured that development benefits reach more people across the globe.
"I’m overjoyed," said Nathalie, a resident from Yenge Village in Kolwezi, Lualaba Province, southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. "Our harvests in the past two years have far exceeded what we had before. We finally don't have to worry about hunger, and now we can afford to send our children to school." Nathalie, who has eight children, used to grow cassava. The family often had to go hungry due to the crop's low yields and perishability. Now, a maize cultivation program offered by a Chinese enterprise has transformed her life. The company provides farmers with seeds, tractors, seeders, pesticide sprayers, and other essential agricultural inputs and equipment, along with regular technical guidance from experts.
China’s South-South cooperation framework continues to support poverty reduction in the Global South countries. China established the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund with a total amount of 4 billion US dollars. This fund is one of the important tools for the Chinese government to support the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the sustainable development of other developing countries. It is a concrete action by the Chinese government to emphasize and support South-South cooperation. It is also a significant manifestation of China as a responsible country, inviting other nations to take a "free ride" on China's development to achieve common development. The fund focuses on investing in "small and beautiful" projects in areas such as poverty reduction, pandemic response, human resource development cooperation, food security, digital connectivity, and green development.
With support from the fund, the Chinese government and the World Food Programme have cooperated to deliver food aid projects in dozens of countries, including Burundi, effectively easing food shortages and improving livelihoods. In Uzbekistan, Chinese poverty alleviation practices have been piloted across various provinces, with nearly 10,000 participants attending online training sessions. The country has preliminarily established a community-based poverty alleviation system centered on registries of poor households, women, and youth, producing remarkable results.
Meanwhile, China has actively shared its poverty reduction experience with other developing countries and helped train more than 400,000 development professionals from over 180 countries and regions. These efforts have significantly strengthened their capacity for poverty reduction and independent development, enabling more nations to chart their own paths to poverty reduction in line with their national conditions, and advancing international cooperation in poverty governance through joint action. Adam Kighoma Ali Malima, commissioner of Tanzania’s Morogoro Region, introduced that for over a decade, Chinese experts and scholars have been continuously working in Morogoro, promoting and demonstrating agricultural techniques that are suitable for the local conditions. They have brought about significant changes to the local villages and the lives of the villagers. "Here, our farmers appreciate everything about the Chinese experts," he said.
China is committed to deepening cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to help poverty reduction in participating countries. Over the past 12 years since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative, more than 150 countries and dozens of international organizations have signed cooperation agreements under its framework. A wide array of landmark projects have taken root, driving local economic growth, generating significant employment, improving infrastructure, and enhancing the quality of life for local populations. Through participation in BRI development, partner countries have gained expanded development opportunities, steadily escaping poverty and advancing toward shared prosperity.
China has embodied the principle of "consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits" with concrete actions, contributing to global governance and the building of a global community of shared future. As these projects are implemented, poverty rates in partner countries have notably declined, with evident improvements in the quality of people's life. Public services such as education and healthcare have also been strengthened, laying a solid foundation for sustainable development.
According to a World Bank report, the Belt and Road Initiative is projected to lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million out of moderate poverty in participating countries, injecting powerful momentum into the global cause of poverty reduction.
3. Joint Construction and Shared Benefits: Enabling the Global South to Become Co-Creators, Not Passive Followers
"Targeted poverty alleviation" stands as the cornerstone of China’s efforts to lift nearly 100 million people out of absolute poverty. It has offered developing countries a new reference and practical pathway for poverty reduction, deepening humanity’s understanding of the logic of poverty reduction, reshaping global discourse on poverty governance, and enriching the theory of human anti-poverty efforts.
In essence, the anti-poverty theory with Chinese characteristics redefines the concept of the "right to development." Guided by the vision of a global community of shared future, China's international cooperation on poverty reduction reframes developing countries not as "passive followers" in the tide of modernization, but as equal "co-creators."
In the New Era, Xi Jinping's work Up and Out of Poverty has been successively published in English, French, Spanish, Hausa, Uzbek, Lao, Portuguese, and other languages. Xi Jinping's Excerpts on Poverty Alleviation has been translated into English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and other languages. Focusing on the critical issue of anti-poverty that concerns people's well-being, these two works have become key reference texts for numerous international leaders and scholars. They believe that China's anti-poverty theory and practice provide profound insights for global poverty governance. China's continuous international cooperation in poverty reduction is conducive to building a just world with common development, making poverty a thing of the past and turning beautiful visions into reality.
Sayaphone Anurat, President of the Lao National Book Publishing and Distribution House, remarked that the Lao edition of Up and Out of Poverty is a milestone in China–Laos cooperation on poverty reduction. It will help promote and adapt China’s experience to the Lao context, reflecting the joint efforts of both countries. He noted that Laos will continue to draw from China’s experience, strengthen international collaboration, and advance its own poverty reduction initiatives, thereby contributing wisdom and strength to the global cause of poverty reduction.
Equal cooperation earns genuine respect. As Joseph Warioba Butiku, Chairman of the Nyerere Foundation in Tanzania, observed: China has never interfered in the internal affairs of African countries. Instead, it invites all parties to sit down and discuss what we can accomplish together. African nations feel respected in their cooperation with China. Africa and China are truly friends and partners.
Enduring Impact of Core Concepts. China's core concepts, such as "targeted poverty alleviation and targeted poverty eradication," "fostering both aspiration and capacities," and "development-based poverty alleviation," have offered new thinking and practical pathways for addressing the complex challenge of poverty. These ideas, along with the China-Africa initiative to jointly advance the "Six Modernizations," have gained broad recognition from the international community.
A Chinese Approach Embedded in the Global Agenda. The philosophy of "targeted poverty alleviation" has been incorporated into multilateral documents of United Nations agencies and other organizations, providing developing countries with highly valuable operational standards and practical guidance. China's poverty reduction theory and practice have contributed unique Eastern wisdom to the global fight against poverty, greatly enriching and developing the theoretical treasure trove and knowledge system of human anti-poverty efforts. It offers an effective path that differs from traditional models, one that emphasizes precision, pragmatism, and people-centered principle.
Conclusion: Let China's Poverty Alleviation Experience Benefit the World
Poverty reduction is more than a matter of reducing numbers, it represents an elevation to a new form of civilization. As the developing nation that has lifted the largest number of people out of absolute poverty, China's experience has sparked a dialogue among civilizations on the essence of human progress.
In an era marked by intensifying clashes among civilizations, how can different systems learn from one another through their endeavor of poverty reduction? How can they jointly tackle the century-old challenge of "development and equity"?
Xi Jinping stressed that the root cause of poverty is inadequate development.
The Essence of China's Approach to Poverty Reduction: In essence, China's approach to poverty reduction redefines the concept of the "right to development." Guided by the vision of a global community of shared future, China's international cooperation on poverty reduction reframes developing countries not as "passive followers" in the tide of modernization, but as equal "co-creators."
The Practice of China's Poverty Reduction: China's poverty reduction practice is a magnificent epic, fueled by the aspirations and forged through hard work. It affirms a truth: shaking off poverty is not the finish line, but the starting point of a new endeavor. It also points toward a clear direction: the true essence of development lies in enabling every life to blossom with dignity, every piece of land to regain its vitality, and every dream to become a reality. It is about ensuring that every individual has the chance to reshape their fate.
The Sharing of China's Experience: Sharing China's experience is the practical wisdom of exploring "how to turn academic papers into real-world solutions." When the Dulong people in Nujiang, Yunnan, bid farewell to cable crossings after the completion of the bridges over the river, when farmers on the Ethiopian plateau harvested golden wheat using Chinese-aided irrigation systems, when children in Cambodian villages read aloud in newly built schools, when young people in Brazilian favelas started their own businesses through e-commerce training, these stories that transcend mountains and seas collectively weave the heartwarming picture in the history of human poverty reduction.
China’s experience shows that poverty reduction is not a solo performance by a certain country, it is a chorus of developing countries. It is not a one-way flow of "aid," but a reciprocal process of mutual empowerment. Nor is it a short sprint, but a long relay of shared commitment.
There is no fixed template for development, but cooperation always yields mutual benefit. There is no universal answer to reducing poverty, but solidarity and partnership can break through bottlenecks.
We look forward to China’s targeted poverty alleviation strategies, its poverty relapse monitoring mechanisms, and its county-based industrial models taking root in the fields of Africa, the communities of Latin America, and the mountainous villages of Asia.
We look forward to jointly building a Green Development Alliance under the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting China’s poverty alleviation experience with solar energy, ecological agriculture, and clean energy technologies to support low-carbon development across the Global South.
We look forward to building a global digital platform for poverty reduction, sharing China’s experience in rural e-commerce, distance education, and smart healthcare, so that technology can transcend mountains and seas to connect every village, every school, and every clinic.
Through its own practices, China has shown the world that successful poverty reduction and sustainable development are growth rooted in local systems, outcomes of dialogue among civilizations that respects diversity, and a global consensus where every nation can cultivate its own development momentum within the fertile soil of its cultural heritage. It is a shared cause of humanity that ensures every life to flourish, and ultimately, it is a deep concern that transcends mere "accumulation of wealth" toward "human liberation."
Stop using China as your name. In doing so you are surrendering to a Western aberration born in its word 'Name'.
This is important: Name mother's kind, says laozi.
Use zhong! ( No upper case) As such it is not an identity. It is a stative verb expressive of dynamic intention meaning central of all where all is an English word that can usefully be used for dao.