The historical feat of eradicating absolute poverty as scheduled was a hard-won victory for China.

By Gui Tao

Published: August 16,2023

The country, led by the Communist Party of China, has not only the vision but also the determination to win the war against poverty. But are the results seen in China replicable? The quick answer is yes and no. No, because some Chinese policies and conditions, such as the strong leadership of the ruling party and the large-scale mobilization of social and economic resources among different regions and departments, are not easy to replicate in other countries where different economic and political systems are in place. Yes, because even though the overall Chinese strategy for poverty eradication is not easily replicable, it holds important lessons for the global fight. Some elements in its strategy can be learned.  

Xinhua published a think tank report on China’s poverty alleviation studies two years ago. The report, which can be accessible on Xinhua’s website, summed up five elements in China’s success on poverty reduction with 5Ds which I would like to share with you.

DETERMINED LEADERSHIP 

Political economy theory shows that when a particular task becomes the top priority of a country’s top leader and is continuously implemented (the “nail” spirit), it creates a strong national will and drives allocation of resources. The objective is noble because it is people-centered and confronts the issues of social inequality and efficiency for the overall well-being of the country and society. 

DETAILED BLUEPRINT 

China is adept at strategic planning, and also focused on medium-term and short-term goals, such as the “two centenary” strategic goals, the “Five-Year Plans” and the annual Central Economic Work Conference. The blueprint design, formed on the basis of in-depth study and an understanding of domestic and international issues and trends, helps all sectors of society form stable expectations of the future. With the common goal of eradicating absolute poverty, several generations of Chinese leaderships have led the nation in successive struggles, which ensured policy continuity and spurred the entire country to work together toward a unified goal. 

DEVELOPMENT ORIENTED 

Translating economic growth into poverty alleviation is no doubt complicated. Even more complicated is translating economic growth into policies that are more widely shared or effectively target the poor. China has combined economic development with proactive precise poverty reduction, effectively offsetting the declining “trickle-down” effect of economic growth. In recent years, China has adopted a strategy of transforming its economy from one defined by high-speed growth to one centered on high-quality development. This economic transformation will undoubtedly have a tremendous impact on the future of poverty alleviation in China. 

DATA-BASED GOVERNANCE

Precise poverty alleviation requires precise data. In the fight against poverty, the Chinese government has attached particular importance to the development of big data and the digital economy and emphasized the application of advanced digital management, which made China’s poverty alleviation success possible in a relatively short period of time. China’s national poverty alleviation data system, established in 2014, included information on 128,000 poor villages, nearly30 million poor households and nearly 90 million poor people, and has since been dynamically adjusted. 

DECENTRALIZED DELIVERY 

Poverty alleviation, especially the “last mile” of eradicating absolute poverty, cannot be achieved without proper execution. The effective implementation of China’s poverty alleviation policies is also due to the “decentralized” nature of the country’s governance structure, featuring many improvisations at subnational levels to implement national policies. So to sum up, determined leadership, detailed blueprint, development-oriented, data-based governance as well as decentralized delivery, they are the 5Ds behind China’s poverty alleviation success and if you can replicate these elements, you can replicate China’s success. 

Mr. Gui Tao is the Director of Local News Desk, Department of News for Overseas Service, Xinhua News Agency