Balancing objectives is key to progress

By continuing to apply the same level of resolve as it has in eradicating extreme rural poverty, China can not only build upon the remarkable progress already made nationally, but also continue to contribute to sustainable development globally, a UN official said.

Beate Trankmann, the resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme in China, said the 750 million people lifted out of poverty over the past four decades represented around three-quarters of the global figure for that period.

This is "a major step toward ending poverty globally" and has offered valuable experiences for other nations, she said in a video speech aired during Thursday's Vision China virtual event, themed "Way Forward after Beating Poverty".

"China achieved this remarkable milestone through its bottom-up, targeted approach," she said. "This involved analyzing local conditions of different counties and villages, to design tailor-made responses for their specific needs.

It also made a long-term commitment to ending poverty in its policies, finances and human resources."

The UNDP has shared the nation's experiences by helping set up the International Poverty Reduction Center in China in 2005. The center is a global knowledge hub that has trained many officials from developing countries in how to reduce poverty, Trankmann said.

She said the UN's development agency also works with China and partner countries to maximize the benefits of South-South Cooperation, which offers a global platform for other countries to gain from China's poverty-fighting experience via knowledge-sharing and technology transfers.

Trankmann also warned of the challenges ahead to safeguard the achievements China has made.

"The tireless work on poverty everywhere is never truly done; it is vital to protect past progress, so those who have risen out of poverty do not slide back," she noted.

COVID-19 has shown just how easily progress can be reversed. Globally, 124 million people are estimated to have fallen into extreme poverty last year during the pandemic, she said.

"This shows how vulnerable those just above the poverty line remain in times of crisis."

As such, welfare systems must protect everyone. In China, this includes migrant and informal workers, who are often not covered by social security or basic public services in the cities that rely on them to function, she said.

While new policies are helping to address this－such as opening urban schools to migrant children－it's important to continue widening social benefits and services, until everyone and everywhere is included, she said. This will be crucial for China to transition to fighting relative poverty, which emphases inequality and highlights situations where people cannot access the same opportunities, services, or experiences that most others can.

"This is critical, given that China is a vast country where economic realities and living costs vary between regions," Trankmann said. She also stressed the importance of a livable planet in ending poverty, saying 40 percent of all jobs depend on the Earth's environment being intact.

This applies in particular to jobs in the agricultural sector in China, which accounts for 25 percent of the country's employment.

"Finding the balance between protecting the environment, economy and society will be key to achieving the sustainable development goals in China," she said.