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African countries can count on China for comprehensive assistance in their efforts to lift people out of poverty
Since gaining independence, African countries have explored ways of shaking off poverty and bringing the continent prosperity and strength.
The economic performance of African countries stands out against the backdrop of the feeble global economy. After decades of development, the African economy has maintained an annual growth rate of more than 5 percent for a dozen years. But despite the continent's fast economic growth and some progress in improving people's livelihoods, poverty has not turned around significantly, and the rapid economic growth has not yet been turned into effective social development. The population in sub-Saharan Africa that is living in poverty is still huge and the number is on the rise.
Measured by the United Nations' poverty line of people living on less than $1.25 a day, the number of people living in absolute poverty in sub-Saharan Africa increased to 414 million in 2010. Realizing poverty reduction and national revitalization, and ensuring people's well-being and economic sustainable development are still urgent tasks facing African countries.
The pursuit of development and prosperity is the historical mission of both China and Africa. China has become the world's second-largest economy and has made outstanding achievements in terms of poverty reduction, with some 600 million Chinese being lifted out of poverty in the past 30 years. And cooperation in poverty reduction, the Millennium Development Goals and common development has been given high priority in China's Africa policy.
Cooperation between China and Africa on poverty reduction is mainly carried out on three levels. The first is on the government level. The Chinese government provides interest-free government loans or free aid to African countries for complete projects such as infrastructure, productive projects, agricultural technology demonstration centers, and hospitals. China also provides government scholarships to African students, offers management and technical training, dispatches volunteers, holds seminars on poverty reduction and development, reduces debt and provides all kinds of humanitarian aid.
All these aim to promote local economic and social development, improve the living conditions of local people and consolidate the development capabilities of African countries. Such assistance has contributed to African countries' national strategies and actions on poverty reduction.
