A new book detailing how the Communist Party of China (CPC) conducted its poverty elimination campaign under the leadership of President Xi Jinping has been published and distributed, offering more insights into one of the most significant social policy initiatives in contemporary China.
Published by the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), the volume outlines what it terms the CPC Central Committee’s coordinated effort, “with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core”, to eradicate absolute poverty.
Featuring accounts from officials, grassroots cadres, and beneficiaries, the book situates China’s poverty alleviation efforts within a broader context of party governance, institutional mobilization, and long-term development planning.
The publication reflects on a pivotal moment in February 2021, when Xi declared that China had achieved a “complete victory” in eliminating absolute poverty.
He announced that the last 98.99 million rural residents living below the current poverty line had been lifted out of poverty over the previous eight years. Authorities also reported that 832 designated impoverished counties and 128,000 villages had been removed from the poverty list.
The campaign represented the culmination of decades of reform and rural development policies dating back to the late 1970s. Official data indicate that since the initiation of reform and opening up, approximately 770 million rural residents have risen above the national poverty threshold. Chinese authorities further noted that the country accounted for over 70 percent of global poverty reduction during that period.
The new book attributes these achievements to a governance model characterized by centralized political leadership, target-based accountability, and what Chinese policymakers refer to as “targeted poverty alleviation”, a strategy designed to tailor interventions to specific households, regions, and causes of poverty.
Measures included relocating residents from inhospitable areas, implementing industrial development programs, providing fiscal transfers, expanding infrastructure, and strengthening social assistance systems.
The book’s release coincides with China’s shift in policy focus from poverty eradication to rural revitalization, a broader agenda aimed at ensuring income stability, modernizing agriculture, and reducing regional inequality.
