CHINA DAILY | GLOBAL EDITION Tuesday, September 29, 2020 | 7 XIAOKANG SOCIETY

MODERATELY Editor’s note: As China aims to eliminate extreme poverty and be a “moderately prosperous society” (xiaokang shehui) in time for the 100th PROSPEROUS anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China next year, we talk to leading experts for their take on the country’s commitment.

IAN GOLDIN

Ian Goldin, 65, a former economic adviser to the late South African president Nelson Mandela, is one of the world’s foremost development experts. The Oxford University professor argues that China achieving a moderately prosper­ ous society and eliminating all extreme poverty is one of the great achievements in human history. A former director of development policy and vice president of the World Bank, he says China has shown that developing countries too can make the journey to greater prosper­ ity. His latest book, Terra Incognita: 100 Maps to Survive the Next 100 Years, looks at the role China has played in reducing poverty.

developing nations, in particular, do not suffer too much from the crisis. “What we need is a massive global response from the G20, the G7, the World Bank and other institutions. “What we have is a very tepid and frag­ mented reaction, and that’s partly, of course, because of the US not providing any leadership role. It is not only the US. Other countries have not stepped up to the scale of this challenge.”

Positive outcomes Children exercise in a kindergarten in Sansui county, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture, Guizhou province. Remote rural areas have been particularly big Goldin hopes one of the more positive beneficiaries of China’s poverty alleviation programs. YANG WENBIN / XINHUA outcomes of the pandemic will be the rejection of nationalism and protection­ ism and an acceptance that globalization is the only solution to the world’s prob­ lems. “Globalization is absolutely essential. Dispatching problem of poverty Without it there will be no progress in the world, there will be no poverty reduction, there will be no vaccines to stop pandemics, there will be no coordination to stop cli­ mate change or antibiotic resistance or oth­ er threats we face. has made world a much better place “There will be no sharing of technologies, or investment of market opportunities to help people escape poverty.” Success of eradication drive lauded as an extraordinary achievement Globalization has played a major part in China achieving xiaokang and eliminating extreme poverty, he said. By ANDREW MOODY “China’s progress has been absolutely [email protected] associated with its opening up, and it has been a big beneficiary of globalization, but an Goldin insists that without China it’s also been a contributor to it. achieving a moderately prosperous “China in many senses has sustained the society the world would be a lot global economy, and it’s been the strongest poorer. locomotive by far to the global economy The professor of globalization and since the financial crisis, and probably will Idevelopment at Oxford University said be after this one.” important targets such as the United With his background in development Nations Sustainable Development Goals issues in Africa, Goldin is aware of the would be missed and people across the extent to which African countries look to globe, not just in China, would be in a much China as a role model in the way it has worse place. become a moderately prosperous society “When you look at the global statistics of and tackled poverty. poverty reduction, much of what has been China has forged strong links with Africa achieved has been driven by China,” he said. in recent years through the Forum on Chi­ Goldin, a former economic adviser to the From left: A garment factory in Linyi city, Shandong province, is part of poverty alleviation efforts. FAN CHANGGUO / XINHUA; Ian Goldin na­Africa Cooperation as well as major late South African president Nelson Man­ (left), a frequent visitor to China, at the Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi’an. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY investment in and trade with the continent. dela, says the scale of China’s achievement “What Africans see in China is a multidi­ in delivering 850 million out of poverty in a mensional strategy to reduce poverty which little more than 40 years is not widely erbate an already bad situation. It is going and your circumstances, you will not strive Goldin, who studied at the University of focuses on industrialization, urbanization, acknowledged in the West. The world’s sec­ to throw hundreds of millions of people to escape. Cape Town and also has a degree from the rural development and priority given to ond­largest economy is set to achieve back into poverty and many into extreme “Neither government nor society will feel London School of Economics and a doctor­ child development and education. xiaokang and become a moderately pros­ poverty and starvation.” it is their responsibility to act if they think ate from Oxford University, has had a high­ “It is this comprehensive strategy that perous society in time for the 100th anni­ For Goldin, this does not come as a sur­ that some people are just destined to be profile career as a professional economist they would like to emulate. The question versary of the Communist Party of China prise, given that he forecast a pandemic in poor. They will not see it as their absolute and academic. He has also served on the though has to be whether they have the gov­ next year. his 2014 book The Butterfly responsibility to eliminate boards of a number of leading internation­ ernment capacity and financial capability “It is the most rapid poverty reduction by Defect: How Globalization that.” al companies, including Old Mutual, the to achieve what China has achieved.” far of any country ever in history,” he said. Creates Systemic Risks, and Goldin also said Xi is right Pan­African investment and banking insti­ While China has demonstrated not just to “It is an extraordinary achievement. When What to Do about It. Neither to emphasize that poverty tution. African but other developing countries is you look at the global statistics of poverty, a “This has been a disaster government nor alleviation strategies need that the journey is possible, he said. large part of the progress globally is driven waiting to happen for a long to be aligned to local condi­ Sustainable development “China has shown that an extremely poor by China. If it had not been for China we’d time. It was merely a ques­ society will feel tions, which Western policy He came to prominence as principal country can become an upper­middle be far off target in achieving all the UN tion of where and when it it is their makers have often disre­ economist at the European Bank for Recon­ income country over a relatively short peri­ goals.” would start.” garded at huge cost. struction and Development and as program od of time and with very little external Goldin, speaking from Oxford during the Goldin, who is a frequent responsibility to “There has been this director at the OECD Development Centre assistance.” UK coronavirus lockdown, looks in his lat­ visitor to China and a regular act if they think cookie­cutter view of it in in Paris, where he was engaged on sustaina­ Goldin said that although China is about to est book Terra Incognita: 100 Maps to Sur­ speaker at the China Devel­ the West where a particular ble development. eliminate extreme poverty, poverty levels are vive the Next 100 Years at the important opment Forum, an event that some people development model was In 1996, he became chief executive and rising in a number of developed countries. role China has played in global efforts to held in Beijing each spring, are just destined dreamed up in Washington managing director of the Development “You see the queues for food banks in the reduce poverty. and which attracts experts or by colonial rulers and it Bank of Southern Africa, and it was in his US, where there are now people in dire pov­ China is right to give priority to eliminat­ and thinkers from around to be poor. They was to be applied every­ five years there that he worked for Mandela. erty. You have increased homelessness with ing extreme poverty in its own country by the world, is impressed by will not see it as where. It proved a disaster. He was also director of development policy people living on the streets. the end of this year, he said that poverty is President Xi Jinping’s ideas “Africa is littered with the at the World Bank from 2001 to 2003 and “Rich countries too don’t have adequate still a massive problem worldwide. on poverty. their absolute carcasses of development then its vice president from 2003 to 2006. social safety nets, and people face extreme The 65­year­old South African points to Xi, in fact, has made pov­ responsibility to projects which at some He is best known at Oxford as founding hardship. This is a world of rising inequali­ World Bank figures showing that 2 billion erty eradication a mission eliminate that.” point were regarded as a director between 2006 and 2016 of the ty where a handful of billionaires have the people live in poverty globally, and in 2015 since he was Party chief of panacea.” Oxford Martin School, which brought same amount of wealth as half of the about 736 million were in extreme poverty, Ningde city in Fujian prov­ Ian Goldin Goldin said good govern­ together the university’s expertise in critical world’s population.” on less than $1.90 a day. ince in the late 1980s. In his ance and coordination as global challenges, including climate change Goldin rejects any notion that China has book Up and Out of Poverty has been demonstrated by and development issues. become rich on the back of countries such Massive issue he sets out four important principles for Xi and others in China is vital to alleviating Apart from The Butterfly Effect and his as the US, as some prominent politicians “It is a massive issue. Poverty is wide­ tackling it: avoiding a poverty mentality (if poverty. latest work, Goldin has written a number of now argue. spread and it is perhaps the most significant you believe you are poor, you will be); “Coordination is certainly vital. There is influential books, including Exceptional “The reality is that the US economy is global issue of our age.” adopting development measures appropri­ no point in building a school if you don’t People: How Migration Shaped Our World much stronger and has much higher levels The coronavirus pandemic could result ate to local conditions; strong leadership have teachers for it, or a hospital if you and Will Define Our Future and, with Chris of employment and growth because China in many more people being pushed into and coordination; and not wasting money don’t have nurses, doctors or equipment. Kutarna, Age of Discovery: Navigating the is stronger and has higher growth. poverty because many developing coun­ on grandiose projects just because they “You need coordination across the country Risks and Rewards of Our New Renais­ “The US, in fact, would not be what it is tries have weak health systems and nonex­ may be popular. too. You can’t have provinces which are sance, which present an optimistic view of today if China was still where it was in the istent social safety nets, he said. A World “These are all very important but he is extremely wealthy because they are easy to the world’s development. late 1970s before it opened up. The idea Bank report in June forecast that up to 100 right to stress avoiding a poverty mentali­ access from the capital, and others which are Goldin said the current pandemic has the that somehow China’s success has been at million more people could be pushed into ty,” Goldin said. more remote and find they are left behind potential to halt global progress and that the expense of the US is a complete misun­ extreme poverty. “If you believe you are simply con­ because no one comes and opens projects there needs to be concerted action on the derstanding as to how all this works. It is “The pandemic is going to greatly exac­ demned to be poor by virtue of your birth there.” scale of a new Marshall Plan to ensure that not a zero­sum game.”