Renowned economist says China's eradication of absolute poverty "a great historic accomplishment"

LEFT: This file photo taken at a certain time before 1949 shows a Derung resident climbing a cliff-side ladder in Dulongjiang Township of Gongshan Derung and Nu Autonomous County, southwest China's Yunnan Province.

RIGHT: Derung villager Li Yongming accompanies his grandmother Dang Na as they climb up cement steps to reap fodder grass from the mountains in Dulongjiang Township of Gongshan Derung and Nu Autonomous County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Oct. 31, 2020. [Photo taken by Hu Chao/Xinhua]

"China has done more to reduce extreme poverty in a short period of time than any other country in history," said renowned economist and bestselling author Jeffrey Sachs.

by Xiong Maoling, Tan Yixiao

WASHINGTON -- China's eradication of absolute poverty is "a great historic accomplishment," said renowned economist and bestselling author Jeffrey Sachs.

"This is wonderful news. It's a great historic accomplishment. China has done more to reduce extreme poverty in a short period of time than any other country in history," Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, told Xinhua in a recent video interview.

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese leadership didn't delay the goal of eliminating extreme poverty by 2020, but has taken forceful actions to contain the spread of the virus and continued on the fight against poverty, said Sachs, who is also a senior United Nations advisor.

"So rather than postponing the goal, China said we need to stop the virus. And I think that was the right strategy," said Sachs. "No one knew whether it could be done, but China showed that it could be done."

Wang Fangzhou (L) guides a female worker relocated from poverty-stricken area in drawing batik patterns at a batik workshop in Danzhai County of Guizhou Province in southwest China, Dec. 1, 2020. [Xinhua/Yang Ying]

Sachs served as special advisor to three UN secretaries-general from 2001 to 2018, and is currently director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. He has authored numerous books, including the New York Times bestseller The End of Poverty.

Sachs first visited China in 1981, and has been "watching closely" the Asian country's development for almost 40 years.

Looking back, Sachs said China has adopted a variety of poverty alleviation strategies in different periods, and the overall strategy starting around 1980 was to promote "broad-based economic development."

Noting the reform and opening-up is crucial, Sachs said China has achieved high-speed growth during the past decades, which is "extraordinary."

"So this is a fantastic achievement, and that is the most fundamental part of ending poverty," Sachs said.

"Then the government directed resources to human development, especially to education, healthcare and decent nutrition and this made for a healthier, well-educated and more productive population," he continued.

Students attend a class at a school in Daxingdi Township of Lushui City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Nov. 5, 2020. [Xinhua/Hu Chao]

As the coastal regions have developed faster than the interior, China has directed attention to the lagging regions and rolled out special programs to address the issue, said Sachs.

"I got to know many of the provinces in western China, at least as a visitor, and saw that there was determination by local officials, district officials and township officials to bring new businesses, new jobs and new infrastructure. This was quite heartening," Sachs said.

With determination, clear and sound plans, as well as investments in infrastructure, the interior region has become a new source of economic growth, he said.

In recent years, as the rate of poverty has fallen, the Chinese government has directed attention to individual households to address their specific problems, Sachs said.

"So the strategy operates on many, many levels," Sachs said. "It's a tremendous advance in wellbeing and it's also a very powerful framework."  

The views don't necessarily reflect those of Qiushi Journal.