China is leading the way in reducing poverty in the Asia-Pacific
region, and contributing to other regional efforts like
reforestation and energy efficiency, according to an international
report.
In 1990, one person in three lived in poverty in China, while
today the number is less than one in 10, said the report, jointly
drafted by the United Nations and the Asian Development Bank,
titled "The Millennium Development Goals: Progress in Asia and the
Pacific 2007", released in Manila on Monday
The millennium goals range from halving extreme poverty to
reducing child mortality, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, providing
universal primary education, and providing access to clean drinking
water and sanitation facilities by the target year of 2015.
They formed a blueprint in 2000 which was agreed upon by all
nations and international development institutions.
According to the report, issued half way toward the target date,
China has reduced its level of hunger and malnutrition below the
regional average, and in some cities the rate is now close to
zero.
Liu Fuhe, spokesman for the State Council Leading Group Office
of Poverty Alleviation and Development, said last month that the
country had already achieved the goal of cutting the
poverty-stricken population by half.
Official statistics show that by the end of 2006, the number of
poverty-stricken people in rural areas suffering from food and
clothes shortages fell from 250 million to 21.48 million.
Despite that, there is still a problem of unbalanced
development, Liu told a news conference.
Poverty relief efforts now face a new challenge, Professor Li
Shi of Beijing Normal University was quoted by Xinhua as
saying.
"The biggest problem that China now has to deal with is how to
help poverty-stricken populations gain the opportunities and
conditions needed for development," Li said.
Meanwhile, China's reforestation efforts have helped the
Asia-Pacific region register an increase of forests, and the
country has managed to double its energy efficiency since 1990,
said the report.
The country is also well on track for other indicators such as
promoting gender equality and empowering women, improving maternal
health and reducing child mortality, said the report.
However, a lot has still to be done to attain the goal of
halving the proportion of rural people without access to safe
drinking water, while the number of HIV patients is rising faster
in the country than the average increase in the Asia-Pacific
region, said the report.
(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2007)