By Jerry Grey

Poverty shouldnt be a controversial subject， but it is. The World Bank， the World Health Organization， the U.S. State Department and pretty much every government in the world has a different definition of what poverty means. In China， absolute poverty is defined as 11 yuan a day； this is about $1.7. The World Bank disagrees and sets a higher number. In 2011 the U.S. considered people to be in poverty if their consumption was less than $21.7 a day. If that were the case， given inflation， almost all Chinese people outside of a few large cities would be in poverty. But living in China is different.

China doesnt claim poverty eradication； it boasts a poverty alleviation program. The aim is to lift every Chinese person into a category they call moderately prosperous. So the idea of putting a monetary value on poverty has little meaning. Instead of a monetary amount， lets consider the statement：“Where a persons resources are insufficient to meet their daily needs，” and surely， most can agree this is a place we would not like to find ourselves in.

Since different governments， economists， journalists and academics all have different views on how to define poverty， China has simply made it policy to eliminate the “two worries” of hunger and clothing and fulfill the “three guarantees” of healthcare， housing and education. Based on these five categories， no one should need worry about their basic life needs. In 2015， Chinese President Xi Jinping challenged the government to go and find every family living in absolute poverty and lift them out of it—and they did. With minor exceptions being dealt with at the local level， they have achieved this goal.

Misunderstandings

However， in most Western mainstream media， we see a few kind words followed immediately by criticisms or even examples of an individual with a problem. When 800 million people are lifted from absolute poverty， it should be a cause for celebration， not criticism. In a statement given to the New York Times， Martin Raiser， the China Director of the World Bank said： “Were pretty sure Chinas eradication of absolute poverty in rural areas has been successful—given the resources mobilized， we are less sure it is sustainable or cost effective.”Raisers statement fails to take into account the culture and societal nature of Chinas poverty alleviation program.

It will be sustainable because the government is committed to sustaining it； the Chinese people are on board with it； and they are supportive of the government in how it is being handled. For many reasons， there is a strong feeling of national pride inside China： economic growth， technology leaps， pollution control measures， the burgeoning strength of the military， the ability to help other countries， the handling of the epidemic， the Belt and Road Initiative， and particularly the poverty alleviation program.