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China to Focus Poverty-Reduction Efforts in Western Regions: Vice- Premier
China is devising its poverty- reduction strategy for the first 20 years of the 21st century and will focus energy and resources on the western areas where most of China's remaining poor people live, Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao said on May 16.
The project will concentrate on remote areas with harsh natural conditions, regions inhabited by ethnic minorities, and old revolutionary bases, Wen said at the International Conference on China's Poverty Reduction Strategy in Early 21st Century. Wen is also head of the State Council's Leading Group on Poverty Reduction.
He said that poverty reduction is one of China's most noble causes, and that the country will strive to solve the food and clothing problem for the remaining poor population while continuing on its successful development course.
"This means that China will enhance its efforts in infrastructure and environment construction in poor areas, and improve the people's production and living conditions to boost the overall development," he said.
"With the rise of China's comprehensive strength, the Chinese government will attach more importance to the issue of poverty and unbalanced development among different regions," he said, adding that the government will invest more in poor areas to ensure it hits its poverty-reduction target.
Official figures show that China already reduced the rural poor population from 250 million in 1978 to 34 million in 1999. Wen said that by the end of 2000, China will be capable of essentially solving the problem of food and clothing for the rural poor, reaching the goal set by the government in 1994. "This is not only a great event in the history of the Chinese nation, but also a great feat in the history of human development, " he said.
He attributed the achievements mainly to the combined efforts of the Chinese people and the government's interest in guaranteeing the people's basic human rights of substance and development.
"The most important experience of the success in poverty reduction is that China has always stuck to the principle of reducing poverty by development," he said.
By development, it means that the country centers on economic construction, helps poor areas to develop local resources, develops the market economy and improves local production and living conditions to strengthen the capability of poor people to get themselves out of poverty.
"Facts show that the method is effective and will serve as an example for anti-poverty efforts the world over," Wen said.
To alleviate and eliminate poverty is the common responsibility of mankind; this not only requires the hard work of developing countries but also calls for the joint efforts of developed countries and international organizations, Wen said.
China has carried out effective cooperation with the World Bank (WB), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Asia Development Bank (ADB) and other international organizations and non-governmental organizations, he said.
Such cooperation has directly promoted China's poverty- alleviation cause, he added, expressing the hope that such exchanges and cooperation will continue in the future. Tuesday's international conference was jointly sponsored by the Office of the State Council's Leading Group on Poverty Reduction, WB, UNDP and ADB.
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