china contributes to global poverty reduction

Fighting poverty is a global issue. A report by the International Labor Organization released in 2016 indicates that there are still nearly 2 billion people living on less than US$3.10 a day globally， and the percentage is even higher in emerging and developing countries – 36 percent. The global poverty problem is far from being solved， despite the fact that global rates of extreme poverty have fallen by more than half since 1990.

As the world’s largest developing country， China has made significant efforts to eradicate poverty. According to the Millennium Development Goals Report 2015 published by the UN， the proportion of people living in extreme poverty in China dropped from 61 percent in 1990 to less than 30 percent in 2002， making China the first country to reduce the proportion by half. The figure was further lowered to 4.2 percent in 2014， meaning that China had made a 70 percent contribution to the global anti-poverty campaign spelled out in the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. In addition to reducing the number of impoverished people， China’s achievements in improving people’s living conditions， including quality of drinking water and health status， are equally remarkable. Statistics show that 45.6 percent of the world’s population that gained access to improved drinking water between 1990 and 2014 were Chinese. Global average life expectancy has increased by one year thanks to China’s efforts.

In the context of unbalanced global development， China’s poverty reduction campaign is of exemplary significance. It has played an active role in helping other developing countries eliminate poverty. Since its founding in 1949， the People’s Republic of China has provided 166 countries and international organizations with financial aid of nearly 400 billion yuan （US$58 billion） and assisted more than 120 developing countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

China’s effective anti-poverty measures and complete poverty reduction systems are rapidly reshaping the concept of global sustainable development and promoting global development governance.