The Road to Poverty Alleviation

Chinas plan to lift all of its poor people out of poverty by 2020 concerns whether the country can fulfill its goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects throughout the next five years. The Chinese Government has prioritized its poverty alleviation plan across the nation， and has already set in motion the process to improve the living standards of an estimated 70 million people living under the countrys poverty line.

The Chinese Government has come up with a targeted approach to fighting poverty， which applies customized policies and measures to different people and locations. The government plans to lift 30 million people out of privation by developing the economy. Another 10 million will be helped by relocation to locations with better living conditions. Through government-subsidized training and job-hunting assistance， 10 million more are expected to rise out of hardship. As for the remaining 20 million， which include seniors， persons with disabilities and juveniles in rural areas who are unable to work and without income or guardians， the government plans to guarantee an adequate standard of living for them.

Chinas poverty relief efforts will ultimately contribute to the reduction of global poverty. The UNs Post-2015 Development Agenda proposed to eliminate extreme pov- erty throughout the world by 2030. China is therefore 10 years ahead of the UN in that regard. Chinas work throughout the next five years will provide useful case studies for other countries efforts.

After years of hard work， Chinas impoverished population has declined from over 200 million in the 1980s to the current 70 million. Nonetheless， the groups that benefited from those poverty reduction policies mostly live in regions enjoying stable conditions for economic development. China will therefore face greater challenges in lifting the remaining 70 million out of poverty in just five years.

It is also worth noting that the aforementioned 70 million people are living in absolute poverty， which means that， should the plan succeed， China will not be completely devoid of poor people in five years. There will still be some people living in relative poverty by 2020. China will remain a large developing country， and some level of poverty will undoubtedly persist in the long term.

In order to achieve its goals of total poverty alleviation and balanced development， the Chinese Government must continue to be committed to enabling all rural residents， especially impoverished ones， to benefit more from the countrys social and economic development driven by reform and opening up.