China Celebrates Anti-Poverty Initiatives

A remote village in Lishui, China (Wikimedia Commons).

The Chinese Communist Party officially launched a full-scale propaganda campaign celebrating anti-poverty achievements on February 25, reports Xinhua Net. 

Beijing held a high-profile gathering in the Great Hall of the People to officially announce and celebrate the country’s accomplishments in poverty eradication. The gathering was televised and advertised in major newspapers, under a state directive. At the gathering, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech recounting the Party’s achievements in eradicating extreme poverty.

Eradicating poverty has been an essential task in Xi’s agenda since his inauguration in 2013. He pushed for the idea of “targeted poverty alleviation,” which allows government and local officials to address individual and household needs, rather than those of an entire village, through the use of data from a local registration system. This approach was first put forward by Xi during an inspection tour in 2013 to Shibadong, a Miao ethnic minority village in the central province of Hunan. Located in a remote area, its people suffered from an imbalanced diet, as well as lack of healthcare, shelter, and other resources. Moreover, older generations were reluctant to move from villages into urban areas, where resources are far more abundant. Shibadong’s situation was similar to that of many other Chinese villages: remote, lacking resources, and with its people unwilling to leave. According to Xi, nearly 10 million people have moved into new homes and 27 million homes have been renovated since his plan went into full effect. 

At the same time, the propaganda apparatus has been linking national successes to Xi as a part of efforts to cement his image as a history-making leader solidifying China’s status as a global power. The official declaration of the end of extreme poverty is also a party milestone, as 2021 is the centennial of the Chinese Communist Party, which was established in 1921. 

An eight-episode documentary also debuted on the state broadcaster China Central Television on Thursday as a part of these efforts. Produced by China Media Group, the documentary features the theories, practices, and notable cases in China’s battle against poverty. The documentary series was also translated into 44 different languages to be circulated in more than 70 countries and regions around the world. This international distribution of the documentary is a statement of China’s hope to share the experience with other developing nations and to take on a leading role in the global war against poverty.