Poverty’s decline guided by leaders

Liu Yongfu, director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, said 30.46 million people remained below the poverty line by the end of 2017. The poverty line in China is a net annual income of 2,300 yuan ($363) as measured in 2010.

Since the start of reform and opening-up, China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty, representing more than 70 percent of the global reduction, according to a report published in 2016 by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the State Council, China’s Cabinet. Another 10 million people escaped poverty last year.

Kriengsak said: “We should think of how the Chinese economy has done this with an open mind. … We should learn and apply and bring it over to many other countries.”

He said he appreciates how China has tackled poverty with a strong focus on innovative technology and research and development, and expects to see a more targeted approach to deal with the remaining “stubbornly poor”.

“You can help a lot of poor people with the general approach (as the economy grows), but you need a targeted approach (to those who are still poor) and to find a specific policy that really empowers them out of poverty,” Kriengsak said.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of reform and opening-up, and Kriengsak said China’s lesson can be useful for others, as the world’s second-largest economy — despite the sheer size of its population — has been able to continue to grow in a fast and modern pace in the past decades.

He said good political leadership and a stable political system can create a favorable environment for the stable growth of China’s economy, which has already exceeded expectations with its GDP growth rate reaching 6.9 percent in 2017.

Kriengsak said the peaceful rise of China should be the theme that will make the world feel certain and secure. “So far, I think China has made this message clear,” he said.