WB: Partner with China to promote sustained and balanced development

“Eradication of absolute poverty means that China needs to focus more on building institutions for sustained and balanced economic development going forward. That is in line with the reorientation and evolution of our own strategic engagement with China,” said Martin Raiser, the World Bank country director for China in an interview with China.org.cn.

Raiser explained that the World Bank has a partnership with China that dates back almost 40 years, and all the 430 projects that it has implemented so far in China have helped reduce poverty in China.

“We went from initial infrastructure investments and technical assistance in a rural context to fostering more community participation, then to bringing in the environment and finally to involving the entire government system to make sure that it supports poverty reduction effectively,” he said.

He emphasized that among middle-income countries, China is now in the upper echelons and will be a high-income country perhaps in the next five years or the next decade. “So we are looking for ways to still add value and this means our partnership is evolving,” he said.

Raiser explained that once China has eradicated extreme poverty, which might happen as soon as next year according to estimates, there will still be people vulnerable to poverty, some inequality and those who as a result of injury or illness may suddenly experience a renewed risk of falling into poverty. These people need the support of a stronger welfare system. Those who are able to work should be able to find jobs; and those who are not should receive assistance, said the director. “That requires further reform of the health system, efforts to bring better education to rural communities, and integration of the social security system. We will be delighted to continue our work with authorities in that direction,” he said.

Talking about the Global Solicitation on Best Poverty Reduction Practices, the director said that from the World Bank’s point of view, as a globally operating institution, knowledge sharing is a critical part of its work, and interest among other countries in China’s experience is high. The activity was initiated by the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), World Food Programme (WFP), China International Poverty Reduction Center (IPRCC) and China Internet Information Center (CIIC) last year.

Raiser expects to see a lot of proposals in the second call and some case studies that distinguish between thetransferrable and non-transferrable aspects of China’s experience.“I think that will be the real value added and I look forward to the next call of proposals from that perspective,” he added.