For a long time, like many places in the developing world, many areas in central and western China have been plagued by poverty. Now, tremendous changes have taken place. Farmers in Xiangxi, Hunan, have brought organic citrus out of the mountains through live webcasts. Villagers of Yi ethnic minorities in Daliangshan, Sichuan province, relocate from the high and cold mountainous areas with poor living conditions so as to lead a better life. The coastal city of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, paired up with Guizhou province’s Qianxinan Prefecture and assisted in promoting industrial construction, creating jobs, improving medical conditions and others. Ningbo poverty reduction officials help to find buyers for Qianxinan’s mushrooms and shoes. Thanks to such efforts, the 35,900 people of Qianxinan Prefecture have all been lifted out of extreme poverty. Countless such “micro” poverty alleviation projects have been accomplished in the remote areas on mountainous or arid land in China, which have coalesced into a historic achievement in rooting out absolute poverty.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on February 25th 2021 announced that the 98.99 million impoverished Chinese rural population, 832 counties and 128,000 villages have shaken off poverty under the current standards. Region-wide poverty has also been resolved. As the world’s largest developing country and the most populous nation, China’s achievements in this regard not only boost the country’s development and its people’s welfare, but also shows that reducing poverty is a cause that is of fundamental importance for the progress of human society.

First, China’s poverty alleviation efforts have contributed to the realization of the global sustainable development agenda. The primary goal on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as adopted in 2015 at the 70th UN General Assembly is to eradicate all forms of poverty. China has achieved this goal 10 years ahead of schedule. This is a contribution to mankind’s endeavour towards reducing poverty, but also shows that China supports the multilateral and global governance system centered on the UN. What China has achieved will also help the nation to provide more public goods for the international community. Through China-UN Peace and Development Fund, the Assistance Fund for South-South Cooperation and other mechanisms, China will work to advance the global poverty reduction agenda. China is ready to join hands with the EU including Belgium along this effort. For instance, the world renowned chocolate industry of Belgium can source cocoa beans from Africa and Latin America plantations, and the Chinese customers’ ever expanding consumer demand for imported goods and the cargo trains connecting China and Belgium will help to finish “the last mile” of this poverty alleviation journey.

Second, poverty reduction holds together the foundation for global prosperity and peace. Poverty is not only an economic problem, but is also reflected in the dimensions of environment, education, employment, health, and infrastructure. It has a profound impact on the social and political conditions of a country or region and has negative spillover effects. For example, African refugees and immigration is an area that draws EU attention, and one that is closely associated with poverty on the African continent. In some countries and regions, poverty is the breeding bed for religious extremism, terrorism, separatism, and a source of conflicts and turmoil. Solving the problem of poverty is not only of economic and social significance, but is also the fundamental way to promote peace and prevent conflicts and social turbulence. Cutting off the link between economic and social instability and armed conflict takes on even greater importance in the current context of the global epidemic.

Third, China’s poverty reduction is a huge progress in promoting human rights. Human rights are an all-encompassing concept. For a country, the right to subsistence and development should be the most important aspects in promoting human rights. China’s poverty alleviation efforts not only increased individual income level but also improved living and working conditions, and access to medical care, education, employment, mobility, telecommunications, etc. Every household has access to electricity and tap water; all teenagers have the chance to receive education; disabled and lonely elderly people can live decent lives. China’s poverty alleviation, besides an economic project, is also a social and human rights project. Reducing poverty for promoting human rights has become a widely accepted notion. The UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner published a report pointing out that advancing human rights and eliminating poverty are the two goals central to the UN mission. At the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council, China’s poverty reduction achievements and human rights progress are highly recognized by the representatives of various nations and UN officials.

Poverty remains an enormous common challenge for mankind, one that is made more daunting against the COVID-19 epidemic, with extensive social and political stability implications. China will continue to uphold the philosophy of building a community with a shared future for mankind to conduct cooperation with the international community over poverty reduction for world prosperity, stability and development.