Policy to prevent poverty regression progressing well

Now that more than four years have passed since China eradicated absolute poverty, especially in rural areas, it is the right time to review the rural development situation.

From 1980 to 2000, China lifted more than 770 million rural residents — about 800 million overall — out of absolute poverty, a historical feat acknowledged by the international community. To achieve that, the entire nation was mobilized using national and regional preferential policies, and government officials were sent to villages to help provide support at different levels to eradicate absolute poverty by the end of 2020.

To prevent the farmers newly lifted out of absolute poverty from slipping back into poverty due to various reasons, a 2021-25 transition period was set by the government during which supportive policies were to continue, with government officials required to stay back in the countryside to not only consolidate the poverty-alleviation achievements but also vitalize the rural areas.

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs data show that by the end of the third quarter of last year, the average personal disposable income of residents in the 832 counties where people were lifted out of absolute poverty was 12,384 yuan ($1,717.76) — compared with 4,000-6,000 yuan set for 2020.

The results of economic development in China's rural areas are self-evident. Even in remote and mountainous areas, we can see thousands of multi-story buildings, with many towns now boasting "economic development parks".

With limited farmland resources and a rural population of more than 460 million, it is impractical to expect farmers to make a fortune by growing crops on their small plots. That's why the central government has been encouraging rural residents to transfer the land-use rights of their farmlands to investors in order to increase their incomes by a high percentage. Under most circumstances, the arrangement has been win-win, with the villagers earning handsome dividends and the investors making decent profits by using economies of scale. This, in turn, has strengthened the country's food security by increasing the per capita yield of crops.

Being freed from toiling on their farmlands, the villagers can choose to migrate to cities to get better paying jobs, or to settle down in nearby towns if they can find employment there. As it is, China's urbanization rate has been increasing by about 1 percent per year over the past four decades. In fact, farmers-turned-workers today have a better sense of security compared with their urban counterparts, because apart from being able to earn a living in cities, they continue to own houses and farmlands — for which they receive rent — back in their villages.

For the relatively poor families in villages, the government offers especially favorable policies in order to ensure they get decent jobs in nearby towns or even in their own villages. In the previously poverty-stricken counties, investors are encouraged to establish factories to create more jobs for the local residents. Also, preferential policies such as tax exemptions and government subsidies are provided for the investors to ensure they make decent profits. As a result, more than 30 million jobs have been created, particularly for poor families, in the past four years.

All this shows the poverty eradication and rural vitalization program is progressing well. We are aware that the foundation of poverty eradication is weak, which increases the risk of some families slipping back into poverty.

Official data show that over the past four years, more than 5 million rural residents received special government assistance, so as to drastically reduce the chances of their falling back into poverty, indicating that continuous efforts are being made to ensure rural residents, especially those from poorer families, lead a decent life.

It seems that some of the supportive policies such as tax exemptions and subsidies including life/medical insurance, house construction and children's education should be continued for some families, particularly relatively poor families, in certain regions.

To make sure no needy family is left unattended, the central government-operated supervision system including the one designed to strengthen environmental protection should avoid any negligence or falsify information.

The author is former deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily.