19th CPC National Congress Spotlight: Bridging Global Governance Deficit and Poverty Reduction

The19th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) being held in Beijing has emphasised the need for all nations to come together and build a community of shared future for mankind. It said that China under the leadership of the CPC is ‘trying to map out a road leading to a better world.’ As part of its inclusive development agenda, the Congress stressed that poverty alleviation will be one of the top priorities of the party.

In recent years China has witnessed a massive government led drive to ‘promote social justice and equality’ by reducing poverty. China has lifted an average of 13 million people out of poverty every year since 2012, according to official data which also says that over 700 million Chinese have been freed from poverty, accounting for 70 percent of the global efforts in past four decades.

The ongoing Congress has reaffirmed the nation's target to eliminate poverty by 2020 to achieve its goal of a moderately prosperous society.

The Congress also said that initiatives like the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative are a step towards promoting not only China’s own development but also that of other countries. The initiative also known as Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road will connect Asia with Africa and Europe. According to the CPC, OBOR is also one of China's tools to help eradicate the root causes of terrorism and other extremist elements and build a safer world.

 “China has also steadfastly promoted peaceful and diplomatic means to solve many of the global crises,” the Congress said. These include its recent efforts in de-escalation of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, and becoming a ‘change maker’ in the climate change negotiations.

Apart from the global conflicts, the CPC said that “rising economic protectionism and populism are major threats to globalisation”.  Nearly a decade after the 2008 global financial crisis, the world economy is still grappling with uncertain long-term outlooks. Global confidence in a strong future growth has yet to find a solid foundation.

China had been playing an active role in pushing the quota reforms in the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. According to analysts such restructuring in these pillars of the post-war global financial system is critical in ‘promoting global justice and balanced development’.

President Xi had said that China's ongoing reforms have sailed into uncharted "deep waters" where what is left is mostly the hard nuts to crack. And that the situation is the same with the rest of the world, if not worse. In his opening speech at the National Congress, Xi had reiterated that development holds the master key to solving all problems.

China had been introducing a series of supply-side structural reform measures to ensure steady economic growth. In Xi’s report to the Congress, he said China will become more and more open and protect the legitimate rights of foreign investors.

"With favourable Party and local government policies, our villagers have worked hard and now have much improved lives," said Zhu  a resident of Zengjipan village in the remote Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region who is a delegate to the Congress.