Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday declared his country had achieved the "human miracle" of eliminating extreme poverty, though questions continue to surround the Communist Party's criteria for making the claim.

In a glitzy ceremony in Beijing, Xi bestowed medals on officials from rural communities, some wearing traditional ethnic-minority attire, and promised to share this "Chinese example" with other developing nations.

"No other country can lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty in such a short time," Xi said.

"A human miracle has been created that will go down in history."

China last year claimed it had achieved its long-trumpeted goal of lifting all of its people above a poverty line of $2.30 in daily income.

That is slightly above the World Bank's lowest threshold of $1.90, but below what is recommended for higher income countries.

The World Bank says China has lifted more than 800 million people out of extreme poverty since turning to market reforms in the 1970s, after decades of state planning and ill-advised Maoist campaigns that had stifled the economy.

China is now "providing help to developing countries" still struggling with poverty, Xi said.

In 2015, Xi vowed to eradicate extreme poverty by 2020, a pillar of the Communist Party's goal to build a "moderately prosperous society" by the 100th anniversary of its founding later this year.

Ahead of the deadline, the government poured billions of yuan into infrastructure like roads and modern apartment buildings, and offered tax incentives and subsidies to impoverished rural communities.

The standard of living in China has indeed changed dramatically since the 1970s, with hundreds of millions living consumer lifestyles that past generations could not have imagined.

But Beijing's claims have met with scepticism.

Critics have pointed to the relatively low poverty line, claims of corruption cases linked to poverty funds, and perennial questions over whether official data is massaged to meet party political objectives.

Related Links
China News from SinoDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Top Chinese official outlines plan to ensure 'patriots' run Hong Kong
Hong Kong (AFP) Feb 22, 2021
A top Chinese official on Monday outlined plans to ensure only "patriots" run Hong Kong as Beijing seeks to neuter any remaining democratic opposition and take a more direct role in how the business hub is run. The landmark speech by Xia Baolong, head of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, came just two weeks ahead of the annual meeting of China's rubber-stamp legislature as speculation grows that further measures are being planned to sew up control of the city. "The most vital and pressing ... read more