SCIO briefing on democratic reform in Tibet
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E-mail China.org.cn, March 28, 2019
CCTV:
My question is about Tibet's poverty alleviation. We know that the Tibet is the only contiguous poor area at the provincial level and a poverty-stricken region of China. So how is the poverty alleviation work going in Tibet? Thanks.
Norbu Dondrup:
As we have said, the old Tibet was a society of feudal serfdom, lacking good geographical conditions and a natural environment for development. For a long time, the Dalai group has engaged in a series of sabotage activities in Tibet. Therefore, Tibet is a poverty-stricken area at large. Through poverty alleviation work, great changes have taken place in Tibet. But compared to other areas of China, we still lag behind. We have more areas with severity poverty. And the cost and efforts for poverty alleviation are huge. At the end of 2015, 590,000 people were registered as households living under the poverty line, with a poverty headcount ratio of 35 percent.
General Secretary Xi has given an eminent place to the poverty alleviation work in Tibet. To lift the people in Tibet out of poverty has always a major concern of his. During the conferences on poverty alleviation held in Fuping, Yan'an, Guiyang, Yinchuan, Taiyuan and Chengdu, General Secretary Xi has put the poverty alleviation work first and pointed out that building a moderately prosperous society in all respects means leaving no ethnic minority group behind.
Therefore, the Party committees and governments at various levels stand firm and take targeted measures to lead the masses combating poverty with a straight forward spirit. Many preferential policies, particularly for the development of Tibet, have been carried out, which do not only greatly push forward the alleviation work but offer another opportunity of historical significance. Tibetans living in poverty appreciate everything General Secretary Xi and the government is doing to lift them out of poverty. They have said that General Secretary Xi is busy with various national affairs, and yet he still cares about the people in the most remote areas. They appreciate General Secretary Xi and the CPC Central Committee with all their heartfelt intention.
The CPC Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee and the regional government have unswervingly implemented the strategy of precision poverty-reduction and poverty-eradication. In accordance with the requirements, we set forth the objective of providing adequate food and clothing while ensuring access to compulsory education, basic medical services and housing. "Providing adequate food and clothing" here means that people in Tibet eat better than before. In the past, people living in the old Tibet don't have enough food and clothes, nor hopes for having more tomorrow. Their lives were miserable.
I came from a rural area. Many officials, including me, have made many visits at the community level in the Tibet Autonomous Region to see the real conditions there, so as to connect more closely with the people, as required by General Secretary Xi. Poverty reduction has achieved great progress in the impoverished areas. People now have access to a variety of food, including beef, butter, drinks and barley wine. In addition, thanks to a series of measures, vegetables can be planted at high altitudes and fresh vegetables are available to the people there. People have new clothes to wear for the New Year, and have more choices. This is what I mean when I said "providing adequate food and clothing."
The medical services and housing are even better. We have a medical insurance system based on free medical services, ensuring the public has access to medical services. If people get sick, they can seek medical services both in villages and townships. The public can receive not only disease prevention services, but also treatment in other regions. The public can even seek medical services in other regions of China by plane. Why can this happen? Because of the government's good policies, which provide the public with something to rely on. Moreover, the improved livelihood of the public allows them to afford greater expenses. All of these are true facts. Regarding the housing safety issue, the residential buildings built in the past were relatively low in quality, however, new buildings are spacious, bright, comfortable and of good quality. You can go to Tibet Autonomous Region to see for yourself. In accordance with the requirements of the central authorities, the CPC Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee and the Tibet Autonomous Regional Government resolutely put poverty alleviation as the top priority and the first livelihood project, and placed it at the top of the "three major battles" (poverty relief, environmental protection and preventing financial risks). The achievements have been fruitful. Party committees and governments at all levels have concentrated more efforts on poverty alleviation, pledging that they will never stop until winning the battle with the belief that if they don't win the battle, it's because they haven't made enough efforts. We work towards poverty alleviation through targeted measures, including: who is the one we need to help? What has caused his poverty? We conduct multiple analysis from various aspects, such as poverty level and cause, before helping. We will continue to make specific plans and measures for poverty alleviation, and provide them with necessary technology, funds and production materials, in a bid to help them get rid of poverty and achieve prosperity as soon as possible.
We are determined to promote poverty alleviation industry projects based on our strengths. At present, over 2,300 poverty reduction projects have been carried out, lifting 211,000 people out of poverty. You may not understand that it is very difficult to develop the industry in Tibet, especially in places where there are snow and ice, very high altitudes and harsh conditions. However, our Party and government have taken special measures to overcome various difficulties to promote industries in impoverished regions. A large number of crop production, breeding and processing cooperative organizations have been established and they have proved to be very helpful. Moreover, many enterprises participate in the poverty alleviation battle. They have set up their own poverty alleviation contact offices, and developed an array of industries to promote poverty reduction. Due to some severe lack of resources, the high cost for providing access to water, electricity and roads, or extremely poor natural environments, it was really difficult to assist some impoverished people in places they used to live, so we encouraged them to relocate to places with convenient transportation conditions, surplus resources, and a higher level of urbanization so that they can get rid of poverty in a new environment. During this process, we fully respected their willingness, and helped them relocate step by step. We never forced them to relocate. We encouraged people who live in highly and extremely cold pasturing areas, deep mountains and valleys, places with endemic diseases, places with frequent geological disasters and ecologically vulnerable places to move out so that they will have the chance to get rid of poverty and achieve prosperity. Those impoverished people who relocated have moved into very good residences which they could not have imagined before. The relocation sites are all equipped with public services facilities, such as hospitals and schools. Some 266,000 people have showed their willingness to relocate, and 236,000 of them have finished their relocation. We address poverty reduction by carrying out training and teaching skills in a bid to help impoverished population increase confidence in their own ability to lift themselves out of the poverty and see that they can access the education they need. We would hereby like to express our gratitude to the people in other regions of China. The central government has spent a large amount of money and investment to fight against poverty in Tibet. A lot of provinces and cities have provided their assistance to the region, bringing advanced technology, modes of production and management ideas. They have provided training and tought skills for local people who were hindered by traditional thoughts and not market-minded. This has obviously enhanced local people's ability to lift themselves out of poverty. They are on the one hand the objects of the poverty reduction, but on the other hand, they have become the major driver in the battle. Consequently, the public say they have learnt a lot in the poverty eradication process. Remarkable changes have taken place. They say their income in the past was too low, but now, it has increased significantly. Moreover, they can do more things after mastering skills.
The central government has formulated many policies for us, and we Tibetans have benefited greatly. The autonomous region has pooled funds of more than 40 billion yuan to implement these policies. The central government agencies and the provinces, cities and enterprises which provide aid to Tibet, have invested nearly 50 billion yuan to promote its economic and social development, as well as intensifying poverty alleviation inside Tibet. Meanwhile, with the pair-assistance, Tibetans not only learned about the technology, but also directly gained benefits in fighting against poverty. We persisted in enhancing Party building and promoting poverty eradication. Many officials are stationed to help villagers escape poverty, standing with them throughout the process. Poverty alleviation has had some initial achievements. Since 2016, 55 poverty-stricken counties have been removed from the list of impoverished counties, 4,714 poor villages have been withdrawn from the poverty system, and 478,000 people have been lifted out of poverty. The poverty incidence has dropped from 35.2 percent before 2015 to below 6 percent now. We regard it as a miracle. The general secretary's effective strategy of precision poverty alleviation shows the greatness of our Party and the superiority of the socialist system. Now we still have 19 counties, 662 poor villages and 150,000 people that need to shake off the mantle of poverty. These places experience the most extreme poverty because they live with difficult conditions in the most remote areas at the highest altitude. Poverty alleviation in these places will be very difficult. However, with the warm care of the Party Central Committee, the wise guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the unparalleled superiority of the socialist system and the firm determination of the communists, the selfless assistance of our people throughout the country, and the joint participation of people of all ethnic groups in Tibet, we will surely achieve the goal of getting rid of poverty according to schedule, and we will build a moderately prosperous society in all respects along with the whole country. We have confidence and determination in the poverty eradication of the last 19 impoverished counties and we also have sufficient preparation. Thank you all.
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