Anti-poverty highlights 23rd International Day for Eradication of Poverty

Scholars urged to boost the Chinese market's involvement in poverty alleviation at the 23rd International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

"For instance, market participants, (companies and farmers), need change mind, actively engaging in poverty alleviation in China," said Xiang Deping, professor of Wuhan University's China poverty alleviation development academy.

Xiang Deping, professor of Wuhan University's China poverty alleviation development academy was in charge of writing the 2015 annual report of China's anti-poverty development which was released Saturday, in Beijing.

"Market participants need a change of mind. They need to actively engage in poverty alleviation in China," said Xiang.

"However, challenges remain. One of the challenges is that market participant's lack of awareness to actively take part in anti-poverty battle. For instance, an enterprise went to a poverty-stricken area to start business, aiming to bring more profit. Local peasants welcomed them at first. But later, local residents would think the company took their resources. The poverty alleviation should be a win-win situation. Local farmers and the company should be both benefited from it."

Wang Xiaoyi, a researcher at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says the market is not purely angel or devil. It is crucial to design proper mechanism to take advantage of market involvement to fight poverty.

"I did more than ten years of research on China's southeast coast and witnessed many enterprises aimed at gaining profit, not mention the anti-poverty. When the business boomed in the area, it became a rich area," Wang said.

According to Sun Weimin, Vice Chairman of Suning Corporation, China's biggest electronics retailer, Suning will build 100 stores or service stations in 100 poverty-stricken counties, to buy products from local residents, in the next three years.

Suning will also open 100 online stores to sell special local products in three years, Sun said at a e-commerce forum on Friday.

Saturday also marks China's second National Poverty Relief Day. The Chinese government will enact more support policies to lift the country's 70 million poor people above the poverty line by 2020, while actively engaged in the global poverty alleviation plan. President Xi Jinping pledged on Friday.

President Xi Jinping told said at the Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum in Beijing that "eradicating poverty is a common mission of human beings."