NEW YORK CITY: Pakistan on Wednesday congratulated China on “achieving victory” in the effort to eradicate rural poverty a decade ahead of the schedule set by the United Nations.
I congratulate the Govt @ChinaAmbUN & People & Communist party of China on achieving Poverty Eradication target 10yrs ahead of schedule. This “victory” against Poverty transcends China. It has promoted Human Rights; Social development & Sustainable Development.
🇨🇳 🇺🇳 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/KLQj4gDxHs— Pakistan Permanent Representative to UN (@PakistanPR_UN) March 3, 2021
“Never before in the history [of mankind] have 770 million people been taken out of extreme poverty in a span of 35 years,” Pakistan Ambassador at the UN Munir Akram said at a virtual event organised by the Chinese mission to the global body.
Ambassador Akram, who is also the president of UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), spoke after a briefing by Chinese Ambassador Zhang Juan on “Eradicating Poverty Practice in China: Promoting Implementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.
In February, Chinese President Xi Jinping celebrated “complete victory” in the effort to eradicate rural poverty at a ceremony in Beijing to mark a signature initiative of his eight-year tenure.
China credits Xi’s leadership with lifting nearly 100 million people from poverty, a milestone he declared in December and framed as a birthday gift for this year’s 100th anniversary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In his remarks, Ambassador Akram said that World Bank’s statistics show that since the late 1970s, China is responsible for over 70 percent of the global reduction in poverty over the period.
“I think the fruit of this ‘victory’ against poverty transcends China,” he said, adding it has promoted human rights as well as social and sustainable development.
In this context, he quoted Prime Minister Imran Khan as saying that the “Chinese experience can be a source of guidance for developing countries.”
“China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its flagship project is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), are examples of what President Xi has called ‘common prosperity’,” the envoy said.
“We must all redouble national efforts and international cooperation to fight and eradicate poverty which is our common enemy and in President Xi’s words, build a community of shared future for humankind,” Ambassador Akram added.
In a tweet after the event, the Chinese ambassador endorsed his Pakistan counterpart’s stance, saying that eradicating poverty is the biggest human right.
I can’t agree more @PakistanPR_UN. Eradicating poverty is the biggest human rights. China’s achievement on poverty eradication owes to strong political leadership & collective efforts of the Chinese people. It belongs to the world. 🇨🇳 will work together with🇵🇰 to promote 🇺🇳SDGs. https://t.co/VqCG5MP7r4
— Zhang Jun (@ChinaAmbUN) March 3, 2021
“China’s achievement on poverty eradication owes to strong political leadership and collective efforts of the Chinese people,” Ambassador Zhang said, adding that it belongs to the world.
“China will work together with Pakistan to promote UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he added.
