Poverty-stricken county leaders shouldn't rejoice at such a label

Children of Se ethnic group sit in front of a monument that reads "China's No. 1 Poverty Relief Village" at Chixi Village, Panxi town, Fuding city in East China’s Fujian province, Feb 14. The village has shaken off poverty thanks to assistance from Party and government officials at all levels over the past 30 years. [Photo/Xinhua]

In his recently published book on prefectural governance, China's top leader Xi Jinping noted that he was truly outraged by a county which "celebrated" being listed as a national-level poverty-stricken county in 2012 on its official webpage. Comments:

Xi's anger towards the county that celebrated its impoverished status highlights the importance the country's leaders place on poverty alleviation efforts and their determination to build a moderately well-off country by 2020. Putting an end to the preposterous fights over being listed as a national-level poverty-stricken county is key to advancing the country's efforts to help the less-developed areas.

Beijing News, Aug 29

Admittedly, for local residents in the poverty-stricken regions, being involved in a grand development project is good news, because they are more likely to benefit from favorable policies and the opportunities they bring. But for local officials, such status should be seen as a big responsibility and challenge, rather than something that is worth celebrating. As what they are supposed to do is to improve local people's livelihoods and inject momentum into the sluggish economy, in order to eliminate poverty.

southcn.com, Aug 28

Although being listed as a national-level poverty-stricken county can bring them some extra "benefits", such as more financial support, they shouldn't be too happy about it because the title will undermine the long-term efforts to promote their image. The assistance to impoverished counties should go to those that need it instead of those that no longer need such help. Governments at all levels have to adopt an improved assessment mechanism that terminates the service of those incompetent and power-abusing officials.

cnhubei.com, Aug 28

To fundamentally change the flawed poverty alleviation system, local public servants, especially the county heads, must be reeducated to provide better services to residents and economic improvements. In the meantime, it requires stricter assessment of underdeveloped counties to make sure the financial aid is allocated to those that truly need it.

china.com.cn, Aug 28