Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao delivered a speech at the Global Conference on Scaling
Up Poverty Reduction that opened in Shanghai Wednesday, saying
China will contribute its share in maintaining world peace and
promoting common development through continuing actions in poverty
reduction and consistent pursuit of peace, development and
prosperity.
Wen reaffirmed China's commitment to global poverty reduction,
noting that to eliminate poverty in a country of 1.3 billion people
is in itself a major contribution to the global cause of poverty
reduction.
The fact that the international community turns its attention to
the poor who make up one-sixth of the world's population shows how
much humanity has progressed and where it is headed, Wen said.
However, he said threats posed by poverty to peace and
development continue unabated and for various reasons, progress in
poverty reduction around the world has fallen short of expectations
and fulfilling the targets of poverty reduction and global
development remains an uphill battle.
Wen attributed the widespread poverty to diverse social,
historical and natural causes within the specific countries, noting
it is also closely related to the existing unfair and irrational
international political and economic order.
"Reducing and eliminating poverty is not just limited to the
economic realm, but assumes a political dimension," he said. "It is
not just an urgent task facing individual countries, but a shared
responsibility for the international community as a whole."
To solve those problems, Wen proposed to strive to create an
international and domestic environment of peace and stability,
establish a new international political and economic order that is
fair and rational, saying that the developed countries have a duty
and responsibility to provide the developing countries with greater
aid.
The developing countries should base themselves on self-reliance
in achieving development and international organizations should
play an enhanced role in global poverty reduction, Wen said.
As a large, populous developing country, China is a principal
practitioner in fighting global poverty, the premier said.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China,
particularly the beginning of reform and opening-up, China has
presided over a rapid and sustained economic expansion.
From 1979 to 2003, China's annual Gross National Products (GNP)
grew from 362.4 billion yuan (US$43.8 billion) to 11.69 trillion
yuan, representing an 8.4 fold increase after weighing in price
fluctuation, Wen said.
The average annual growth rate of the national household
consumption was seven percent for the same period and China's per
capita reached US$1,090 in 2003 based on the current exchange
rate.?
"The Chinese people have, on the whole, begun to lead a life of
moderate prosperity," he said.
In parallel with China's economic development, from the 1980s
onward, the Chinese Government introduced a number of large,
consistent and productive programs of poverty alleviation and rural
development, resulting in over 200 million rural poor having their
basic needs of food, clothing and shelter met.
"This achievement will go down as a remarkable feat in human
history," Wen said. He went on to elaborate on China's experience
on poverty reduction.
The premier said that successful poverty reduction work hinges
on better play of the superiority of the socialist system and
stronger protection of people's rights to subsistence and
development.
"We follow a road of socialism with Chinese characteristics,
always taking economic development as our central task, striving to
let the common people share the benefit of economic development,
and working towards common prosperity, social justice and
fairness," Wen said.
In 1994, the Chinese Government formulated the Seven-Year
Priority Poverty Alleviation Program (1994-2000) and, in 2001, it
launched the Development-Oriented Poverty Reduction Program
(2001-2010).
These programs targeted the most urgent issue -- inadequate
food, clothing and shelter -- and have concentrated resources for
quick results.
Meanwhile, "development-oriented poverty reduction" must be
pursued with a view to strengthening the capacity of the targeted
population to fight poverty and attain prosperity, Wen said.
Wen said with guidance and enabling schemes, China has made the
masses in the poverty-stricken areas the principal players of the
anti-poverty campaign.
While keeping the government's leading role, efforts have been
made to give the marketplace a full role to play with stepped up
infrastructure development, economic restructuring and exploration
of local resources so as to enhance the capacity of the poor areas
for accumulation and development
(Xinhua News Agency May 26, 2004)