BEIJING --  On May 23, World experts and scholars have paid close attention to China's government work report, saying that the report reflects the central government's firm determination to achieve poverty alleviation goals this year, despite the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday delivered the annual report on the work of the government at the third session of the 13th National People's Congress, the national legislature.

Jorge Chediek, director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), told Xinhua in an exclusive interview through email that "poverty alleviation is a priority of China," and "China gives us an affirmation that SDG 1 - No Poverty is attainable even in a country with 1.4 billion population."

China provides the world, especially the Global South, an example of how economic policies and social policies have managed to take hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, Chediek said.

"The targeted poverty reduction policy implemented by the Chinese Government and focused support to areas of extreme poverty have proved to be effective in eliminating poverty," said the UNOSSC director.

Ivona Ladjevac, head of the center for the Belt and Road Initiative at the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Serbia, said that the report "reaffirmed the government's decisiveness of fulfilling the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and fight against poverty."

Ladjevac said that 2019 had been a successful year for China. "The international scene became very demanding, so China put a lot of effort to keep stable its internal development no matter to external influences," said the scholar.

Adrian Bonilla, a professor at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences in Quito (FLACSO) and an expert on international politics, said China had withstood the test of the epidemic. He believes that China will minimize the impact of the epidemic on economic development and reach the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects this year.

Noting that China has placed poverty alleviation on top of the country's economic and social development agenda, the expert said China's efforts and achievements in poverty alleviation had set a good example to the world.

China has, through arduous efforts, achieved decisive results in curbing the epidemic. According to the government report, in the face of global challenges, including the public health crisis and severe economic recession, all countries should work together.

China stands ready to work with other countries to strengthen international cooperation on epidemic control, the report said.

In this regard, Bonilla said that China has taken the lead in shaking off the impact of the epidemic and has made remarkable achievements in economic and social development, which will have an even greater positive impact on the world.

His words were echoed by Jan Hovorka, president of the Endowment Fund for Support of TCM and Alternatives in the Czech Republic. They told Xinhua that a strong country could not only overcome its difficulties but also can offer wisdom, solutions, and help to other countries.

The shock of the COVID-19 pandemic has sent the world economy into a severe recession, disrupted industrial and supply chains, and caused a contraction in international trade and investment as well as volatility in commodity markets, said the report.

Hovorka noted that he looks forward to seeing China strengthen cooperation with international organizations such as the UN and the World Health Organization as well as other countries.

It is a wise decision that the report has set no specific target for economic growth for 2020, while highlighting the importance attached to promoting employment, giving full play to market entities and improving people's livelihoods, according to Liang Guoyong, an economic affairs officer with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Facing various uncertainties, the officer said it is imperative to implement the strategy of expanding domestic demand and promote the transformation of the economic development pattern.

China, on Thursday, raised the curtain for its annual political high season. This year's "two sessions" are expected to highlight China's final push in poverty alleviation and completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

Source: Xinhua