After poverty alleviation: Why China's next move matters for the world

Editor's note: Zheng Haizhen, a special commentator for CGTN, is an assistant researcher at the Department for Global Governance and International Organization Studies, China Institute of International Studies. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

In February 2021, China secured a comprehensive victory in the battle against poverty. After addressing the historic issue of absolute poverty, China established a five-year transition period.

The goal is not just to bask in a victory, but to consolidate it, to ensure that the 100 million people who were lifted out of poverty between 2012 and 2020 stay out. This period focuses on "helping those who have escaped poverty" by keeping key support policies stable while pivoting toward a broader, long-term vision of rural revitalization.

The foundations of a new stability

The central government has consistently focused on the most pressing issues facing the people, and the foundation for poverty alleviation has become stronger. The government's standards for alleviating poverty have incorporated the "two assurances and three guarantees" as key evaluation indicators, including guarantees of food, clothing, compulsory education, basic medical care, and housing safety.

These fundamentals are now being institutionalized. In education, mechanisms are in place to prevent school-age children from dropping out due to family finances. In healthcare, a safety net of basic medical insurance, serious illness coverage, and medical aid works in synergy to ensure that a sudden illness doesn't drag a family back into destitution.

And at the heart of China's poverty alleviation, especially during the five-year transition period, is economic empowerment.

Industrial development drives rural revitalization, and stable employment ensures a steady income. A total of 832 poverty-stricken counties have each developed two to three leading industries, and more than 85% of households that have shaken off poverty and those vulnerable households flagged for assistance received at least one form of industrial support.

Alongside industry, employment remains the bedrock of household income. Through deeper labor cooperation and targeted support, job mobility channels have expanded, strengthening the income foundation for families. The results have been consistent: In the past five years, per capita disposable income of rural residents in counties that have emerged from poverty has continued to grow faster than the national average, while employment among formerly impoverished populations has remained stable at over 30 million, securing more than two-thirds of the total incomes of households that have bid farewell to poverty.

Guarding the bottom line through mechanisms

Securing the foundation of poverty alleviation depends on robust mechanisms. During the transition period, the monitoring and assistance mechanism for preventing relapse into poverty has been continuously improved. Through grassroots surveys, departmental data comparisons, and public self-reporting, the system promptly identifies households at risk of returning to poverty, on the edge of poverty, and facing sudden, severe difficulties. The goal is simple: to exercise dynamic management to spot these trends early and intervene through support measures, so that these people do not fall back into poverty.

Once identified, each household receives tailored support designed to stabilize their situation and eliminate the risk of relapse. To date, over 7 million individuals under monitoring have been identified and assisted in overcoming these risks. This major institutional arrangement fully reflects not only a scientific response to the evolving stages of development, but also a strategic commitment to safeguarding hard-won progress and continuing the effort over the long term.

The path forward: Toward normalized support

As China's development progresses, the nature of the challenge is shifting. Although absolute poverty has been eliminated, relative poverty persists, posing challenges to income growth. In some regions, industrial chains remain short, added value is low, and resilience to market risk is limited. Many workers still lack advanced skills, which is an issue for job stability. Not to mention, these economic challenges are further compounded by the longstanding disparity in public services between urban and rural areas.

Addressing these issues requires the combination of developmental support and basic social security, weaving a social safety net, or to put it more officially, normalizing the assistance system. For those capable of working, the priority is to enhance industrial support, create more and better jobs, and tap their potential for self-development. For those unable to work, the focus must be on improving social aid and safety nets to ensure people's basic needs are met. Through tailored measures to the specific circumstances of different groups, the precision and effectiveness of assistance can be increased.

The end of the transition period does not mark a "sharp brake" in assistance efforts, but rather a new starting point, a shift toward normalized and sustainable support. By maintaining policy stability, refining monitoring and assistance mechanisms, strengthening industrial and employment support, and establishing effective asset management and long-term operational systems, China aims to ensure one thing above all: There will be no large-scale return to poverty.

Poverty is a global challenge, and China's achievements in poverty alleviation are significant not just for one country, but for the world. International experts have taken note, with some observing that China's progress in poverty reduction is "unparalleled." As China now moves towards comprehensive rural revitalization, balancing external assistance with internal development capabilities is crucial, laying a more stable foundation and creating more opportunities for poverty-stricken regions and populations.

In doing so, China is not only consolidating its hard-won achievements but also writing a new chapter in its unique poverty-reduction path, offering time-tested insights into a global challenge: how humanity can move toward common prosperity.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)