China's targeted poverty alleviation, anti-relapse mechanisms offer solution for developing countries

Editor's note: Tan Xuewen is secretary-general of Poverty Research Center at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

In 2026, China will enter a new stage of development with the launch of its 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). During this phase, the country will take a more proactive approach to advancing economic and social development.

China not only emphasizes high-quality economic growth, but also values progress across all dimensions of development. The country has consistently placed issues related to agriculture, rural areas and rural residents at the top of its policy agenda. 

By promoting integrated urban-rural development, China has steadily advanced comprehensive rural revitalization and agricultural and rural modernization. In this process, the Chinese government's commitment to preventing large-scale relapse into poverty has been particularly noteworthy.

Over a long historical period, China has consistently upheld a people-centered development philosophy. It eradicated absolute rural poverty primarily through development-oriented approaches, and then continued to consolidate and expand the gains through follow-up support measures. Households at risk of falling back into poverty have been included in dynamic monitoring and assistance mechanisms. On this foundation, China has advanced comprehensive rural revitalization in a steady and pragmatic manner.

On the one hand, rural revitalization strengthens intrinsic motivation for income growth and development among the poverty-alleviated population through rural revitalization. On the other hand, eliminating and preventing rural poverty has been treated as the cornerstone of rural revitalization.

China's integrated approach to poverty alleviation and rural revitalization offers unique and valuable lessons for sustainable development pathways in Global South countries.

Eradicating rural poverty through development

At the beginning of the reform and opening up period, China was among the world's least developed countries, with one of the most severe poverty situations. Rather than relying on international aid, China embarked on a path of reform and opening up, self-reliance and poverty reduction through hard work and independent development.

Through more than 30 years of rapid economic growth, China has achieved a powerful poverty reduction effect, with pathways including agricultural modernization, the development of township enterprises and the employment of migrant workers.

China placed great emphasis on education, adhering to the principle that "no matter how difficult conditions are, education must not be neglected." Even under austere circumstances, it cultivated a vast pool of rural human resources with basic labor skills.

In impoverished areas, the government invested poverty alleviation funds to develop economic resources and industries, helping poor households engage in agricultural production and employment. For some impoverished rural households where local poverty alleviation is unattainable, relocation programs were implemented, with relocation and ecological protection being used as mutually reinforcing strategies.

China also actively utilized poverty alleviation resources from international organizations such as the World Bank, while adhering to the principle of independent application and focusing on learning from their successful management practices.

China's poverty reduction approach aligns with the World Bank's "three-pillar" strategy, while also incorporating the uniquely Chinese element of development-oriented poverty alleviation, which is the key to China's success in poverty reduction.

Overcoming 'last mile' of poverty reduction through institutional innovation

Many countries around the world face the "last mile" challenge in poverty reduction. In the final stages of poverty alleviation, it takes a long time to eliminate the remaining poverty and some even fluctuate between poverty eradication and relapse.

To address this, China leveraged the strengths of its socialist system to promote institutional and policy innovation in poverty alleviation.

Beginning in 2012, with nearly 100 million rural residents still living in poverty, China adopted a strategy of "targeted poverty alleviation and targeted poverty eradication," launching an all-out campaign against poverty.

On the one hand, assistance was precisely targeted down to villages, households, and individuals. Statistical poverty standards were translated into measurable criteria – namely "two assurances and three guarantees" – and large numbers of officials were mobilized to work at the grassroots level. From among hundreds of millions of rural residents, poor households were accurately identified and poverty alleviation files were established.

The degree and causes of poverty for each household were carefully assessed, customized assistance measures were designed accordingly, and outcomes were subject to strict verification and evaluation.

On the other hand, mobilizing the entire Party, all levels of government, and the forces of society, large-scale resources were raised for poverty alleviation and strict systems for leadership, mobilization, implementation, assessment and supervision were established to ensure the effectiveness of targeted poverty alleviation. By the end of 2020, following nationwide verification, China confirmed the historic achievement of lifting more than 90 million rural residents out of poverty.

Establishing long-term mechanisms to prevent a return to poverty

Considering the frequent occurrence of poverty relapse and the widespread risks of falling back into poverty, China has continued to implement policies to consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation after 2020. These policies maintain overall stability in support for poverty-stricken areas and populations, ensuring they continue to strengthen their capabilities and prevent large-scale poverty relapse.

China utilizes its existing poverty alleviation cadres, management information systems, and policy frameworks to identify rural households at risk of relapse or falling back into poverty, incorporating them into monitoring and targeted support programs. Over the past five years, more than 7 million individuals identified as at risk have received assistance, effectively eliminating the risk of relapse and re-poverty.

Certainly, China's efforts to prevent poverty relapse are the result of multi-faceted initiatives working together. The government has maintained an employment-first policy, focusing on supporting laborers from formerly poor areas in finding employment; increased investment in rural revitalization in poverty-stricken regions to enhance internal development momentum; and continued to improve education, healthcare, housing, and safe drinking water security for the formerly poor population.

Going forward, the Chinese government will integrate regular support and poverty relapse prevention into the broader framework of rural revitalization strategy, using freedom from poverty as the cornerstone of advancing comprehensive rural revitalization.