China's people-centered poverty alleviation policies worth learning, says Fijian official

SUVA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's policies and strategies on poverty alleviation and rural development are people-centered and based on reality, which are worth learning for Fiji, a Fiji official has said.

Ro Teimumu Kepa, paramount chief of Rewa province, made the remarks on Thursday at a press briefing held by the Chinese Embassy in Fiji.

Kepa led a delegation of Fiji's Great Council of Chiefs for a week-long visit to China late last month. They visited the provinces of Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang to learn about China's successful poverty alleviation and rural development strategies.

She told the media that seeing China's development firsthand was an invaluable experience for the delegation, giving them a broader view of the world's second-largest economy.

During the tour, they interacted with many provincial and district officials and locals in the rural villages, who were able to explain to them the Chinese path to development and poverty alleviation in a very simple and meaningful way, said Kepa.

"That makes a huge impact on the delegation to see and believe that ethnic people in rural and remote areas of China, who in many ways were like Fijians themselves, were able to take the steps out of poverty," the paramount chief said.

China won the battle against absolute poverty in 2020 and met its poverty alleviation targets under the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule.

"A decade in advance was not just big talk to showcase China's success, but it was seen as we had witnessed," Kepa underscored.

Recalling their visit to Malipo County in Yunnan Province, the chief said they saw how policies and reforms were implemented based on local conditions, and how China was able to protect and promote the cultural diversity of the ethnic groups.

She believes that the Fijian villages could also specialize in what suits their local conditions and circumstances to improve the standard of living.

"They would also need help along the way with Chinese assistance on this journey," Kepa added.

According to the chief, the Rewa province will pilot a poverty reduction project with a strategy adopted from China to alleviate poverty in iTaukei (Indigenous Fijians) communities.

It's reported that Indigenous Fijians make up 75 percent of people living in poverty in the island nation.