The Chinese Government and Chinese people launched a monumental anti-poverty campaign in 2012 on a scale unseen anywhere in the world and won the battle against absolute poverty in 2020. The victory successfully solved the historical problem of penury that had plagued the Chinese nation for thousands of years and created a miracle that would "go down in history". International scholars commend this achievement as "one of the greatest world stories of the 21st century". According to the World Bank's international poverty line, the number of Chinese people lifted out of poverty over the past 40 years accounts for more than 70 percent of the world's total, a great contribution to the global poverty reduction cause.

I. The Accomplishments in China's Poverty Alleviation

Since the beginning of the reform and opening up, 770 million impoverished rural residents had shaken off poverty. In human history, no other country has been able to lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty in such a short time. In 2012, there were still nearly 100 million people in China living under poverty line. In just 8 years, this number was reduced to zero, which means over 10 million people out of poverty every year on average, equivalent to one person lifted above the poverty line every 3 seconds. All 832 impoverished counties and 128,000 villages had been removed from the poverty list. Tailored medical treatments had been offered to over 20 million impoverished patients. Nearly 20 million people living in poverty received subsistence allowances, and over 24 million people with physical difficulties, including severely disabled people received living and nursing subsidies. The number of school dropouts at compulsory education level in registered impoverished households was reduced to zero dynamically. China had built or renovated 1.1 million kilometers of rural roads with another 35,000 kilometers of railways newly built. Reliability of power supply in impoverished rural areas reached 99 per cent. The coverage of large power grid in impoverished rural villages is 100 per cent. The fiber-optic internet access and 4G signal coverage in poverty-stricken villages was expanded to more than 98 per cent. Poor areas also saw their social and economic growth catching up, with the rundown homes of 7.9 million households (25.68 million poor people) renovated and over 9.6 million people relocated to homes with better natural conditions.

II. The "5Ds" in China's Experience

Many international scholars are trying to reveal the secret in China's poverty alleviation experience. Their opinions could be summarized as the "5Ds."

1. Determined Leadership

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pointed out that China's poverty alleviation success showcased "the importance of determined political leadership and commitment at the highest levels to ending extreme rural poverty". Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn, president of the Kuhn Foundation, said "Many foreigners are surprised that China's leader, President Xi Jinping, has made poverty alleviation the country's top priority."

Political economy theory shows that when a particular task becomes the top priority of a country's top leader and is continuously implemented, it creates a strong national will and drives allocation of resources.

In addition to the leaders' own will, a country's leadership lies in the leadership of its political parties. With over 91 million members, the CPC is the world's largest political party. There is no doubt that poverty alleviation is a vivid manifestation of the leadership of the CPC.

2. Detailed Blueprint

China is adept at strategic planning and also focused on medium-term and short-term goals, such as the "two centenary" strategic goals, the "Five-Year Plans", the annual Central Economic Work Conference and so on. This blueprint design, formed on the basis of in-depth study and an understanding of domestic and international issues and trends, helps all sectors of society form stable expectations of the future.

With the common goal of eradicating absolute poverty, several generations of Chinese leaderships have led the nation in successive struggles. To achieve precise poverty alleviation, China has implemented a national strategy, calling for locally adapted policy planning at all levels and targeted assistance programs for households. The Chinese leadership often says, "Roll up your sleeves and work harder, and ensure the blueprint reaches its end." This approach has ensured policy continuity and spurred the entire country to work together toward a unified goal, fulfilling the promise "On the road to poverty alleviation, no one should be left behind."

3. Development Oriented

Chinese people firmly believe "Development is the foundation and the key to solving all problems." China has long prioritized economic development in order to translate economic growth into poverty alleviation. China has combined economic development with proactive precise poverty reduction, effectively offsetting declining "trickle-down" effect of economic growth. In recent years, China has adopted a strategy of transforming its economy from one defined by high-speed growth to one centered on high-quality development. This economic transformation will undoubtedly have a tremendous impact on the future of poverty alleviation in China.

4. Data-based Governance

In the fight against poverty, the Chinese government has attached particular importance to the development of big data and the digital economy, emphasizing the application of advanced digital management to the whole process of poverty alleviation. China specially established a "national poverty alleviation data system", which includes information on 128,000 poor villages, 29.48 million poor households and nearly 100 million poor people. This system ensures that the poverty alleviation resources could be only used on impoverished population and in poor areas. This has made China's precise poverty alleviation success possible in a relatively short period of time.

5. Decentralized Delivery

Poverty alleviation, especially the "last mile" of eradicating absolute poverty, cannot be achieved without proper execution. The success of China's poverty alleviation efforts depends on a strict, standardized, quantified and transparent poverty alleviation process that is consistent across the country. China's poverty eradication is also due to the decentralized nature of the country's governance structure. Leaders in Beijing sketch out grand visions and the routine work of development is done at a local level. Bottom-up improvisation has been the driver of China's escape from the poverty trap.

III. China and Vanuatu Sharing the Same Goal

In December 2020, Vanuatu graduated from the United Nations' Least Developed Countries category and officially became a developing country. Pandemic prevention, disaster relief, economic recovery and pursuit of resilient and sustainable development remain major issues to be addressed.

China and Vanuatu are now working together to promote a bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. It is proclaimed in Vanuatu 2030: The People's Plan that "Our people and place are at the very heart of our development aspirations". This is very similar to Chinese President Xi Jinping's declaration "To meet the people's aspirations for a happy life is our mission." Both countries have the same goal. By sharing experience in poverty alleviation and enhancing exchanges and cooperation, China and Vanuatu will certainly bring more benefits to both peoples and make more contributions to global poverty reduction.