A Work System on Poverty Alleviation in China
Original, GPIG, 11-06-2017
To ensure the goals of poverty alleviation can be achieved, the Chinese Government has designed and established an improved work system for the poverty alleviation campaign.
A responsibility system
Enhanced measures have been issued, detailing the responsibility system for poverty alleviation, in which the central authorities make integrated planning, provincial-level governments take overall responsibilities, and the governments of relevant cities and counties are responsible for implementation. This system features clearly defined responsibilities, with authorities at each level playing their due role to ensure concerted efforts are made to fight poverty. Party committees and governments of the 22 provinces and autonomous regions in central and west China have signed to the central authorities letters of commitment on poverty alleviation. Heads of Party committees and governments of impoverished counties will remain in their positions during the poverty alleviation campaign. A working mechanism has been formed, with secretaries of Party committees at the five levels of province, city, county, town and village leading the poverty alleviation work and all Party members mobilized to assist in solving the poverty problem.
A policy system
The State Council has issued a poverty-reduction plan for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20). Related departments under the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have enacted 118 relevant policy documents and implementation plans. Local governments have also formulated or substantiated their specific policies for poverty alleviation, which include such measures as developing local industries, relocating people from impoverished areas, helping laborers from impoverished areas find jobs elsewhere, improving transportation infrastructure and water conservancy facilities in poor areas, offering educational, medical and financial assistance, and renovating dilapidated houses in rural areas. Among these policies, there are measures targeting many long-standing problems.
A funding System
The Central Government has made it clear that its funding should keep pace with the needs to win the fight against poverty. In 2016, the special funds for poverty alleviation appropriated by central and provincial-level governments exceeded 100 billion yuan for the first time, with 66.7 billion yuan from the Central Government, a year-on-year increase of 43.4 percent and 49.3 billion yuan from provincial-level governments, a year-on-year increase of 56.1 percent. A total of 60 billion yuan in local government debt was made available for improving living and production conditions in poverty-stricken areas. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the Central Government plans to provide provincial-level investment and financing organizations for development-oriented poverty relief with around 250 billion yuan, which will be specifically used for the relocation of people from impoverished areas. Various financial institutions have also scaled up their support for poverty alleviation. A special financial bond of 72.6 billion yuan has been issued for relocating impoverished population. The total amount of this special financial bond to be issued during the 13th Five-Year Plan period will exceed 350 billion yuan. Small loans for poverty alleviation increased by 170.6 billion yuan in 2016 and reached 283.3 billion yuan in total since the plan began, with 8.02 million poor families getting support. The ratio of poor families getting the loans rose to 26.7 percent in 2016 from a mere 2 percent at the end of 2014. The government has also issued relending policies for poverty alleviation. Insurance and securities sectors have intensified their efforts to support poverty alleviation.
A mobilization system
The Central Government has issued the guidelines for coordinating eastern and western regions on enhancing poverty alleviation and the guidelines for targeted poverty alleviation. It has adjusted and improved the collaboration mechanism between east and west China in poverty alleviation, with all the 30 ethnic autonomous prefectures getting support from their paired cities. As part of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration strategy, Beijing and Tianjin have been tasked with helping address poverty in Zhangjiakou, Chengde and Baoding of Hebei Province. The collaboration will see 267 economically developed eastern counties assist 406 poor counties in west China to gain prosperity. A total of 320 units under the central authorities have taken the responsibility for helping 592 poor counties. The People’s Liberation Army and the Chinese People’s Armed Police Force have provided help for more than 2,000 villages. The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council has convinced some centrally administered state-owned enterprises into setting up industrial investment funds for impoverished regions, and organized the “100 counties and 10,000 villages” campaign for poverty alleviation. The All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce has mobilized 22,000 privately owned enterprises to join in the “10,000 enterprises assisting 10,000 villages” campaign. The State Council has set October 17 as the Day for the Eradication of Poverty and set up several awards for poverty alleviation work, including awards for endeavor, contribution, dedication and innovation, to honor those for their outstanding efforts made.
A supervision system
The central authorities have adopted a system to supervise and inspect the poverty reduction work and performance of local governments and related departments. Poverty alleviation work has become an important part of the CPC Central Committee’s inspection process. Democratic supervision activities have been carried out. The central committees of China’s eight non-CPC parties have also taken the responsibility of supervising poverty reduction work in eight provinces with large poor population and high incidence of poverty. Their supervision will last for five years. A hotline—12317—has been set up for public report and supervision over misconduct in poverty alleviation work, through which competent departments have intensified cooperation with disciplinary inspection, audit and finance departments, as well as media and the public to supervise poverty reduction efforts. The results of the all-around supervision will be used in the evaluation of poverty alleviation work.
An evaluation system
The central authorities have launched a mechanism to evaluate the performance of provincial-level Party committees and governments in development-oriented poverty alleviation campaign. From 2016 to 2020, the evaluation, organized by the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, is due to be carried out annually. The evaluation focuses on the effect of poverty reduction, activities for identifying the poor and needy and helping them out of poverty, and the use of funds for poverty alleviation, in order to ensure the quality of poverty alleviation work. In 2016, the work done in the 22 provinces and autonomous regions in central and west China was evaluated through inter-provincial examinations, third-party evaluations, reference to poverty monitoring data and registered impoverished households data, evaluation of the use of special funds for poverty alleviation, auditing and public supervision. Those provinces or autonomous regions that performed poorly were held to account.
Original, GPIG, 11-06-2017
To ensure the goals of poverty alleviation can be achieved, the Chinese Government has designed and established an improved work system for the poverty alleviation campaign.
A responsibility system
Enhanced measures have been issued, detailing the responsibility system for poverty alleviation, in which the central authorities make integrated planning, provincial-level governments take overall responsibilities, and the governments of relevant cities and counties are responsible for implementation. This system features clearly defined responsibilities, with authorities at each level playing their due role to ensure concerted efforts are made to fight poverty. Party committees and governments of the 22 provinces and autonomous regions in central and west China have signed to the central authorities letters of commitment on poverty alleviation. Heads of Party committees and governments of impoverished counties will remain in their positions during the poverty alleviation campaign. A working mechanism has been formed, with secretaries of Party committees at the five levels of province, city, county, town and village leading the poverty alleviation work and all Party members mobilized to assist in solving the poverty problem.
A policy system
The State Council has issued a poverty-reduction plan for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20). Related departments under the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have enacted 118 relevant policy documents and implementation plans. Local governments have also formulated or substantiated their specific policies for poverty alleviation, which include such measures as developing local industries, relocating people from impoverished areas, helping laborers from impoverished areas find jobs elsewhere, improving transportation infrastructure and water conservancy facilities in poor areas, offering educational, medical and financial assistance, and renovating dilapidated houses in rural areas. Among these policies, there are measures targeting many long-standing problems.
A funding System
The Central Government has made it clear that its funding should keep pace with the needs to win the fight against poverty. In 2016, the special funds for poverty alleviation appropriated by central and provincial-level governments exceeded 100 billion yuan for the first time, with 66.7 billion yuan from the Central Government, a year-on-year increase of 43.4 percent and 49.3 billion yuan from provincial-level governments, a year-on-year increase of 56.1 percent. A total of 60 billion yuan in local government debt was made available for improving living and production conditions in poverty-stricken areas. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the Central Government plans to provide provincial-level investment and financing organizations for development-oriented poverty relief with around 250 billion yuan, which will be specifically used for the relocation of people from impoverished areas. Various financial institutions have also scaled up their support for poverty alleviation. A special financial bond of 72.6 billion yuan has been issued for relocating impoverished population. The total amount of this special financial bond to be issued during the 13th Five-Year Plan period will exceed 350 billion yuan. Small loans for poverty alleviation increased by 170.6 billion yuan in 2016 and reached 283.3 billion yuan in total since the plan began, with 8.02 million poor families getting support. The ratio of poor families getting the loans rose to 26.7 percent in 2016 from a mere 2 percent at the end of 2014. The government has also issued relending policies for poverty alleviation. Insurance and securities sectors have intensified their efforts to support poverty alleviation.
A mobilization system
The Central Government has issued the guidelines for coordinating eastern and western regions on enhancing poverty alleviation and the guidelines for targeted poverty alleviation. It has adjusted and improved the collaboration mechanism between east and west China in poverty alleviation, with all the 30 ethnic autonomous prefectures getting support from their paired cities. As part of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration strategy, Beijing and Tianjin have been tasked with helping address poverty in Zhangjiakou, Chengde and Baoding of Hebei Province. The collaboration will see 267 economically developed eastern counties assist 406 poor counties in west China to gain prosperity. A total of 320 units under the central authorities have taken the responsibility for helping 592 poor counties. The People’s Liberation Army and the Chinese People’s Armed Police Force have provided help for more than 2,000 villages. The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council has convinced some centrally administered state-owned enterprises into setting up industrial investment funds for impoverished regions, and organized the “100 counties and 10,000 villages” campaign for poverty alleviation. The All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce has mobilized 22,000 privately owned enterprises to join in the “10,000 enterprises assisting 10,000 villages” campaign. The State Council has set October 17 as the Day for the Eradication of Poverty and set up several awards for poverty alleviation work, including awards for endeavor, contribution, dedication and innovation, to honor those for their outstanding efforts made.
A supervision system
The central authorities have adopted a system to supervise and inspect the poverty reduction work and performance of local governments and related departments. Poverty alleviation work has become an important part of the CPC Central Committee’s inspection process. Democratic supervision activities have been carried out. The central committees of China’s eight non-CPC parties have also taken the responsibility of supervising poverty reduction work in eight provinces with large poor population and high incidence of poverty. Their supervision will last for five years. A hotline—12317—has been set up for public report and supervision over misconduct in poverty alleviation work, through which competent departments have intensified cooperation with disciplinary inspection, audit and finance departments, as well as media and the public to supervise poverty reduction efforts. The results of the all-around supervision will be used in the evaluation of poverty alleviation work.
An evaluation system
The central authorities have launched a mechanism to evaluate the performance of provincial-level Party committees and governments in development-oriented poverty alleviation campaign. From 2016 to 2020, the evaluation, organized by the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, is due to be carried out annually. The evaluation focuses on the effect of poverty reduction, activities for identifying the poor and needy and helping them out of poverty, and the use of funds for poverty alleviation, in order to ensure the quality of poverty alleviation work. In 2016, the work done in the 22 provinces and autonomous regions in central and west China was evaluated through inter-provincial examinations, third-party evaluations, reference to poverty monitoring data and registered impoverished households data, evaluation of the use of special funds for poverty alleviation, auditing and public supervision. Those provinces or autonomous regions that performed poorly were held to account.
