CPC delegation visits Japan

A delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) led by Zhao Shitong, assistant-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, visited Japan from Sunday to Thursday, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

During the visit, the delegation met and exchanged views with Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Tetsuo Saito, leader of the Komeito Party, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of Democratic Party for the People (DPP), Mizuho Fukushima, head of the Social Democratic Party of Japan, and Kyoto Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki.

The delegation also attended a friendship event with representatives from various sectors in the Kansai region and engaged in discussions with faculty and students at Ritsumeikan University.

Both sides expressed their commitment to implementing the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepening inter-party exchanges and political dialogue, and working together to comprehensively advance China-Japan ties while jointly addressing global challenges.

Length of rural roads in China reaches 4.6 million kilometers in 2023, enough to circle the equator 115 times: white paper

China's State Council Information Office issued a white paper titled China's Rural Roads in the New Era on Friday to introduce the achievements and vision of rural road development and to share the country's wisdom and solution to the world.

According to the white paper, from 2014 to 2023, a total of 2.5 million kilometers of rural roads were built or renovated, and 70,600 villages were connected by paved roads. The total length of rural roads reached 4.6 million kilometers by the end of 2023, an increase of 21.7 percent over 2013, enough to circle the equator 115 times, the white paper said.

China's non-toll rural roads constitute the most extensive component of transport infrastructure and serve a significant majority of the population. They play a critical role in assisting the rural population in their travels, improving their well-being and living environment, and advancing the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, read the white paper.

Ten years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued instructions on rural road construction to eliminate the traffic bottlenecks restricting rural development, and to facilitate poverty alleviation work in the countryside.

He ordered that rural roads be built well, managed well, maintained well and used well. For this reason, these roads have become known as "Four-Wells Rural Roads," or "Sihaonongcunlu" in Chinese. In May, Xi issued a new instruction on work related to rural roads, urging unremitting efforts be made to upgrade rural roads to facilitate rural development.

In recent years, the Ministry of Transport and other central and local authorities have made notable achievements in improving rural roads, boosting the sense of fulfillment, happiness and security of rural residents, Xi said.

Better rural roads will provide solid support to bring common prosperity to rural residents, facilitate rural revitalization, and accelerate the modernization of China's agriculture and countryside, Xi said.

Guided by Xi's instructions, China has continued to implement the high-quality development of rural roads through institutional innovation, better policies, systematic planning and targeted policy implementation. This has led to significant improvements in the coverage, accessibility, maintenance, services, safety, and resilience of rural roads.

Better transport has cleared bottlenecks that had long delayed economic and social development in poor areas, and has laid a solid foundation for rural people to realize moderate prosperity in all respects, the white paper said.

According to the white paper, the steady development of transport facilities in rural areas has attracted more capital, projects and talent to the countryside, creating more job opportunities and broadening the avenues for income growth.

At present, rural road construction projects provide work for about 80,000 people in need as a form of relief, enabling an annual average per capita income increase of around 8,500 yuan (about $1,182.57), the white paper noted.

About 850,000 jobs are provided in rural road management and maintenance, offering an annual average per capita income of approximately 13,000 yuan, it said.

While broad highways connect mountains and rivers over this vast land, rural roads buttress common people's dream of prosperity. China has explored an approach to developing rural roads in light of its realities, contributing Chinese wisdom and solutions to global poverty reduction.

Since 2018, China has supported 24 developing countries, including Cambodia, Serbia, Rwanda, Namibia, Vanuatu and Niger, in highway and bridge construction and maintenance. These efforts have helped these countries improve their transport infrastructure, according to the white paper.

Today, as China embarks on a new journey of promoting national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization, the country's rural road endeavors have entered a period of historic opportunity. China will implement a new round of rural road upgrading programs covering road network expansion, road safety, transport capacity, governance ability, public services, the road environment, the integrated development of transport and local industries, and the growth of employment and rural incomes. These efforts will improve the modern rural transport system, open a new chapter of rural road development, and build up China's strength in transport, read the white paper.

As China's modernization advances, by 2035, the country will have in place a rural road transport system with a sound scale and structure, high-quality infrastructure and services, and rational and effective governance. By the middle of the century, China will become a great modern socialist country with a safe, convenient, green and beautiful rural road transport system, according to the white paper.

In a spirit of openness and mutually-beneficial cooperation, China will strengthen international exchanges and collaboration in exploring new models and paths of rural road development, further contributing to global rural road development and poverty reduction, and building a global community with a shared future, read the white paper.

China contributes wisdom, strength to poverty alleviation efforts globally

As a trailblazer in combating poverty, China has consistently shared its experiences and resources with other countries, fostering shared development that benefits all of humanity.

At the G20 Summit in November, China announced its decision to join the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, an initiative designed to raise resources and knowledge to implement proven public policies and social technologies to combat hunger and poverty worldwide.

Over the years, China's commitment has been repeatedly evidenced through a range of projects, such as the Luban Workshop, the program of "Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages" and the "Africa Solar Belt" program, each widely embraced by locals.

China's success in poverty elimination not only offers hope and inspiration to countries worldwide but also provides valuable insights and practical support for their poverty alleviation efforts.

EXPERIENCE IN FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY

In 2021, China declared that it had eradicated extreme poverty, a remarkable achievement following decades of unremitting efforts by the world's most populous country. Having lifted 800 million people out of poverty, the country realized the poverty reduction goal set by the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a decade in advance.

However, poverty remains a vexing problem that has plagued humanity. In 2023, global hunger levels were stubbornly high for three consecutive years, with a staggering 733 million people -- one in eleven globally -- facing hunger, according to a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.

This persistent challenge has prompted many nations still struggling with poverty to turn to China, hoping to learn from its success and replicate its anti-poverty achievements.

A cornerstone of China's poverty alleviation efforts is its targeted poverty alleviation strategy. With specific individuals, local conditions, and the root causes of poverty in mind, this approach has proven to be a silver bullet to the deeply entrenched problem.

Under this model, China established clear standards and procedures for accurately identifying the poor and implemented robust team efforts to ensure the effective implementation of tailored measures.

During China's battle against absolute poverty, a total of 255,000 teams were dispatched to offer on-the-ground support and over 3 million people were sent to the countryside as special commissioners for poverty relief, official data showed.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his message for the 2017 Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum that "targeted poverty reduction strategies are the only way to reach those farthest behind and achieve the ambitious targets set out in the 2030 Agenda."

"China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, and its experiences can provide valuable lessons to other developing countries," he added.

Ravshan Nazarov, senior researcher at the Institute of State and Law of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, said China's successful approach to combating poverty provides substantial support in implementing the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and showcases a diverse and systematic model of poverty reduction that can serve as a practical example for other countries.

SUPPORT FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

At the G20 Summit, China also outlined eight actions for global development. These include pursuing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, implementing the Global Development Initiative, supporting development in Africa, and supporting international cooperation on poverty reduction and food security.

"China is clearly demonstrating its commitment to the fight against poverty and its real support for the development of countries, especially those in the Global South," said Eduardo Relagado, researcher at the International Policy Research Center of Cuba.

Through various initiatives, China has consistently increased its resource input, optimized cooperation methods, and expanded financing channels to support the shared development of nations around the world.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an important part of the eight actions, has already brought substantial benefits since its launch over 11 years ago.

By June 2023, China had signed more than 200 BRI cooperation agreements with more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations across five continents, yielding a number of signature projects and small-scale yet impactful projects.

World Bank has estimated that by 2030, BRI-related projects and investments could lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million others out of moderate poverty.

The Global Development Initiative, launched three years ago, has provided nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars in development funds and launched more than 1,100 projects. Over 80 countries have joined the "Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative," further strengthening global consensus on poverty reduction.

The country has trained over 400,000 professionals from more than 180 countries in a bid to strengthen their capacity to combat impoverishment and drive sustainable development.

In addition to these initiatives, China is expanding its trade openness with the least developed countries and has pledged to offer zero-tariff treatment on all products from these countries with diplomatic relations with China.

Dennis Munene, executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, emphasized that the launch of tariff-free measures for more African products will help open up China's market of over 1.4 billion people to them.

This move will promote trade and economic development in the poorer countries and help many of them escape absolute poverty, he added.