China claims it has beaten extreme poverty, but what has it actually achieved?
23:03pm, 3 Mar, 2021
President Xi Jinping called it a major victory for the Chinese Communist Party, but experts say there’s still a lot to be done
Life has approved for many people, but government corruption and loose income measurement standards mean there’s more work ahead
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People watch a live stream of the ceremony to mark the country s accomplishments in poverty eradication after Chinese President Xi Jinping declared his country had achieved the human miracle of eliminating extreme poverty. Photo: AFP
China’s ‘poverty road’ drives only some to riches
Policies to eradicate extreme poverty by last year have lifted many rural Chinese above the nation’s threshold, but many still depend on sustained aid, an expert said
By Seow Beiyi / AFP, BAOJING, China
At his village along a “poverty alleviation road” in China’s Hunan Province, farmer Liu Qingyou shares a booklet detailing how Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government has hoisted him and 100 million other Chinese from the breadline.
In it, the cause of his family’s hardship is diagnosed as “illness” and “schooling,” followed by a list of ways the government has helped, from grain subsidies to improving the yield of their orange groves.
Poverty road in China drives some to riches, leaves others behind
Complex criteria to determine who gets aid has also fuelled unhappiness
AFP
February 25, 2021
Although Liu received a grant as a poverty-stricken household he says business has been weak. AFP
At his village along a poverty alleviation road in Hunan province, farmer Liu Qingyou shares a booklet detailing how Xi Jinping s government has hoisted him and 100 million other Chinese from the breadline.
In it, the cause of his family s hardship is diagnosed as illness and schooling , followed by a list of ways the state has helped, from grain subsidies to improving the yield of their orange groves.
China claimed last year it had lifted all its people out of extreme poverty
BEIJING - China claimed last year it had met a long-trumpeted target of lifting all its people out of extreme poverty.
President Xi Jinping heralded a major victory that the Chinese Communist Party had wanted to achieve before the centenary of its founding in 2021.
But what do the numbers say?
- What counts as poverty? -
China s poverty line is around $2.30 a day slightly above the World Bank s lowest threshold of $1.90 but below what is recommended for measuring higher income countries.
Local officials have gone door-to-door to determine who is impoverished, measuring by income, housing conditions, lack of medical insurance and whether family members drop out of school.
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