In November 2014, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed the Cooperation Initiative on Poverty Reduction in East Asia at that year's ASEAN Plus Three Summit. China committed to promote poverty reduction in rural communities of East Asian countries and launch the pilot cooperative project for demonstration.
To implement this initiative, in accordance with the deployment of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development and the Ministry of Commerce, the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC) jointly with government bodies and organizations on poverty alleviation in Sichuan, Guangxi and Yunnan provinces participated in the design and promotion of the pilot Project.
This is the first village-level China-aid project on poverty reduction, which focused on people's actual needs and was designed to improve the living and working conditions of the local people and boost the villages' development vitality.
Over the course of three years, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar were selected as pilot partner countries. They each chose two villages to construct infrastructures including roads and water supply systems, supported rural industries involving animal husbandry and crop cultivation, improved communities' environment, sent experts, provided resources and helped in capacity building. The project totally covered over 12,000 people from 2,600 households in six villages.
Poverty eradication is a universal mission for humankind. China has greatly valued international cooperation and experience sharing during its process of poverty reduction and development. The achievements that the East Asia Poverty Reduction Cooperation Pilot Project has yielded will improve cooperation between China and other countries, accelerate poverty reduction throughout the world, and provide new ideas for and approaches to the development of a community with a shared future for mankind.
