China's Strategy on Urban and Rural Poverty Reduction

China over the years made tremendous strides towards poverty reduction through the implementation of various approaches which put emphasis on rural and minority populations. According to the World Bank (2010), China lifted more than 600 million people out of poverty between the years 1981 and 2004. To promote poverty alleviation and development China has made efforts to build relationships with other countries with the hopes that China and other countries can learn from each other. These efforts are evident in the introductions of seminars that attracted various countries from different continents to share experiences about their poverty reduction strategies. To this point, technology, Internet in particular, seems to be a major catalyst in the poverty reduction process in China as it connects people across all aspects.

 Residents in Akqi County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have benefited from the rural cooperative medical scheme reimbursement.

Overview of China’s Poverty Reduction Strategies

With a diversified economic development, China focuses on agricultural development in rural areas. The government of China has spent a lot of money on poverty alleviation projects that target poor families throughout districts, and has taken lead at all stages of poverty reduction.

The government has focused on making the country self-reliant, spending more funds on agricultural activities. Poverty alleviation in rural areas is mainly based on agricultural projects such as the donkey and pig raising industrial bases through which significant impact is seen. However it should be noted that China does not have committees at the local level to help monitor these huge projects, instead China uses the precise targeting approach where individuals are assessed and assisted on areas that they lack. Aids are given to the vulnerable group which includes the poor, the disabled and the elderly in the form of cash transfer and subsidized medical insurance. In addition, China’s poverty reduction approach has been geared towards helping the poor as a group, which is why there has been emphasis in forming cooperatives and societies. In this light the implemented projects often benefit communities instead of individuals or particular families.

With rural population migrating to cities for living, China witnessed a rapid urbanization process. The government has also opted for industrialization in urban areas, which worked well for creation of jobs with emphasis in introduction of new technologies like the Internet and machinery to help speed up production and efficiency. Education has also been an area of focus for the government where there has been free compulsory education for all, and China also has a school feeding program aimed at helping children from poor families.

Comparison Between Botswana’s and China’s Poverty Reduction Strategies

Botswana and China have both put emphasis on precise targeting approach where individuals are assessed and assisted according to their needs. The governments of both countries have spearheaded most economic activities, which left minimal room for contribution of the private sector. Both countries have opted for strategic bilateral relationships with other countries for economic development. Agriculture has also been an area of focus for both countries with more funds reserved to agricultural activities. Free compulsory education has been another approach taken by the two countries. Both countries have had school feeding programs and provided subsidized medical fees for the poor.

As opposed to China, Botswana has put more emphasis on helping the poor at individual levels rather than focusing on a group of people at a go. For example, in recent years the government of Botswana has introduced over 100 projects which were given to individuals, whereas in China emphasis has been on starting projects of a larger scale in the form of cooperatives and societies.Take medical services for example, China uses the medical insurance and poor people in China are required to contribute certain amount towards their medical insurance account, whereas Botswana just focuses on direct payment to the health service provider.

As compared to China whose emphasis is on industrialization, Botswana has high cost of goods and services due to limited manufacturing capacity as little emphasis has been put on industrialization. China has over time promoted use of technology (Internet) throughout all economic activities, which is one area that Botswana has been lacking with the Internet being expensive and not easily accessible especial by the poor.

Challenges Faced by the Chinese Government

Even though China has seen significant economic growth over the years, it faces the challenge of having majority of the population being the aging group. Migration of the active population from rural areas to urban areas in search of jobs has also had a negative impact on China’s agricultural growth as those left in the rural areas are often people with little or no education, and women and children are often the ones left to take care of the farmland.

Industrialization has created a problem of pollution in urban areas, which commits the government to continuously employ strategies of disposing waste and caring for the environment. The introduction of machinery breeds effectiveness, however, it also means limited job opportunities as the job that could be done by several people can now be done by a machine. This also poses a challenge to the government to create jobs for the locals.

Taking the lead by the government in economic activities also means less participation by the local, which can also promote a dependency syndrome on the locals.

Rapid growth and urbanization have been central to China’s poverty reduction in the past 25 years, with the introduction of a number of reforms, including the opening of the economy to global trade and investment. Even as the overall level of poverty has dropped, inequality has increased, and remaining poverty has become concentrated in rural and minority areas.

Recommendations

First, China should promote meaningful citizen participation and involve people in decision-making processes on issues affecting them through stronger participatory approaches and targeting projects more directly to the poor in remote areas, ethnic minority communities and the disabled. Second, there is need for needs assessment to better formulate relevant economic programs/projects, and there should be diversification of economic activities in rural areas rather than focusing mainly on agriculture. Government should come up with strategies that would entice people to stay in rural areas. Third, the government should ensure that people working in service areas including hotels and markets speak an international language, formulate a clear plan of addressing the down side of economic growth and over population in urban areas, and set up village committees that work towards approving and monitoring projects at local level and trust the communities to control the funds.

Mpho Molosiwa is a Social Development Officer of Parliament for Kgatleng, Botswana.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn/Chinagate.cn.