Latin American politicians praise China's efforts to defeat poverty

Political party leaders from Latin American countries said China's successful anti-poverty experience would have great significance to developing countries.

In an online meeting held on Tuesday in Guiyang, Guizhou province, more than 200 party leaders from 16 Latin American countries and about 20 diplomatic envoys from such countries in China discussed the nation's efforts to eradicate poverty.

"China will end domestic poverty by the end of this year, which makes the nation a front-runner in reaching the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals," said Song Tao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. "We would like to share our experiences with other countries around the world."

"Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the average number of people lifted out of poverty each year has reached 13.7 million," he added.

Juan Fernando Lugris Rodriguez, head of the Latin American diplomat delegation and Uruguay's ambassador to China, highlighted China's great contribution to poverty alleviation worldwide. As of October 2015, the nation has doled out nearly 400 billion yuan ($59 billion) to 166 countries and political organizations around the world, has dispatched over 600,000 workers to other countries and has provided medical assistance and social services in 69 countries.

Lugris Rodriguez also mentioned that Latin American and Caribbean countries were also important targets of China's international cooperation on poverty alleviation. In 2019, bilateral trade between China and such countries increased by 19 percent year-on-year.

By the end of last year, 8.92 million people in Guizhou had been lifted out of poverty.

"Guizhou has constantly promoted rural infrastructure construction mainly focused on transportation," said Sun Zhigang, Party secretary of the province. "In 2015, Guizhou became the first province in western China to build an expressway network that covers all counties. We have also built nearly 80,000 kilometers of rural roads, completely solving the problem of inconvenient transportation in rural areas."

Yao Wenqian, a 33-year-old native of Bijie city, said he has benefited from the road construction over the past two years.

"When the roads were not good in the past, it was really hard for cars to run on the bumpy and steep trails," he recalled.

Now, Yao's vegetable truck travels more than 100 km a day, able to reach most local households.

"I can make 7,000 to 8,000 yuan a month from peddling fruit and vegetables in local villages," he said.

The province implemented China's largest relocation for poverty alleviation, with 1.88 million people relocated from the mountain areas to cities and towns, greatly changing their survival and development conditions, according to Sun.

"We vigorously developed industries such as cultivating tea, vegetables, edible fungi, Chinese medicinal ingredients and premium fruits as well as ecological breeding," he added.

Only correct information can help eradicate poverty, according to Alejandro Moreno Cardenas, president of Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party. He said he intended to adopt accurate policies to alleviate poverty after conducting research on social conditions and public opinions.

Moreno Cardenas added that his party hoped to raise wages for workers and introduce tiered taxes and redistribution, bringing more resources to vulnerable groups and providing them with high-quality public services, including healthcare and education.