Editor's note: In August this year, the excerpt of Xi Jinping's Poverty Alleviation Essay edited by the CPC Central Committee Institute of Party History and Literature and the Poverty Alleviation Office of the State Council was published by the Central Literature Publishing House and distributed nationwide. This excerpt is divided into eight topics and contains 242 paragraphs of remarks by General Secretary Xi Jinping, many of which were published for the first time. In order to help the cadres and the masses comprehensively and systematically learn, understand and master Xi Jinping's important statement on poverty alleviation and China's great practice of poverty alleviation, the People's Daily Online News Network of the Communist Party of China specially invited Chen Li, a member of the Academy of Party History and Literature Research of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and an editor who participated in the editing of the book, as a guest in the People's Daily Online video studio.
Targeted poverty alleviation is the most decisive battle for building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way
Host: The excerpt of Xi Jinping's Poverty Alleviation Discussion was officially edited and published recently, which has aroused widespread concern in the society. First of all, let's ask Mr. Chen to introduce the editing and publishing of this book.
Chen Li: With the approval of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and edited and published by the Central Institute of Party History and Literature in conjunction with the Poverty Alleviation Office of the State Council, Xi Jinping's Essay on Poverty Alleviation is a very important and characteristic book. After its publication, it has aroused widespread concern in the society.
I think there are many reasons for the widespread concern, among which there are three more important reasons:
The first reason is that the General Secretary's statement on poverty alleviation is very important, which has a very important guiding significance for promoting poverty alleviation work and is fundamental to follow. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has attached great importance to poverty alleviation, put poverty alleviation on a prominent position in governing the country, put forward a series of very important new ideas and ideas, and carried out a series of important theoretical and practical innovations. With unprecedented efforts, it has made historic achievements and decisive progress in poverty alleviation.
We can make a simple comparison. From the end of 2012 to the end of 2017, our poverty population decreased from more than 98 million to more than 30 million, a decrease of 68 million people. The incidence of poverty decreased from 10.2% to 3.1%, a decrease of 7.1 percentage points. The strength, scale and influence of this aspect are truly unprecedented. The fundamental reason for these achievements lies in the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, and in the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
The second reason is that poverty alleviation is very important. We know that poverty alleviation is the most arduous task and the most important indicator for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and achieving the first centenary goal. The General Secretary said that the key to a well-off society is the fellow villagers. If there is no well-off society in rural areas, especially in poor areas, it is difficult to build a well-off society in an all-round way. The whole party and society are very concerned about, attach great importance to and support poverty alleviation.
The third reason is that the time node of the excerpt publication of this treatise is also very important. At the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, it was proposed to fight three major battles: preventing and resolving major risks, targeted poverty alleviation, and pollution prevention. Among the three major battles, targeted poverty alleviation is the most decisive one for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. It can be said that whether the well-off society in an all-round way can be achieved on schedule depends to a large extent on whether the battle of poverty alleviation can be won. For today, the fight against poverty has come to the sprint stage. The book "Excerpts from Xi Jinping's Discussion on Poverty Alleviation" comprehensively and systematically contains a series of new ideas, new ideas and new strategies on poverty alleviation put forward by the General Secretary since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and comprehensively and systematically reflects some valuable experience we have gained in promoting poverty alleviation and development since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Seriously studying these important statements of the General Secretary is of great guiding significance to thoroughly implement Xi Jinping's thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era and the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, to win this battle against poverty on schedule, to ensure that the moderately prosperous society will be built in all respects by 2020, and to achieve the first 100 year goal.
The Excerpt of Xi Jinping's Poverty Alleviation Discussion is very rich in content, profound in thought and heavy in weight. Just now the host said that this excerpt contains 242 paragraphs of the General Secretary's discussion, which is about 90000 words long. Its time span is also quite long. The first one was the speech delivered by Comrade Xi Jinping on November 15, 2012 when he met with Chinese and foreign journalists after he was elected General Secretary. Everyone is very familiar with it. This is "the people's beautiful aspiration for life is our goal". This is not only a declaration of our party's governance, but also a keynote of poverty alleviation. The last one is the important instructions of the General Secretary on poverty alleviation work conveyed at the three-year action teleconference held on June 11 this year. During this time, the important thoughts, conclusions and measures on poverty alleviation put forward by the General Secretary are all included in this excerpt. Many of the discussions were published for the first time.
In terms of the framework of the whole book, this excerpt has eight topics. In order to facilitate readers' understanding, we can also divide it into three major sections. The first topic is "decisive victory in poverty alleviation and sharing a well-off society in an all-round way", which is the first part. The main content of this section is to discuss the great significance of poverty alleviation, which is to answer why the whole party and society should devote so much effort to poverty alleviation today to win this battle. From the second topic to the seventh topic, it is the second part, which is the "six insistences". They respectively discuss "adhering to the leadership of the Party and strengthening organizational guarantee", "adhering to a precise strategy and improving the effectiveness of poverty alleviation", "adhering to increasing investment and strengthening financial support", "adhering to social mobilization and gathering the strength of all parties", "adhering to strict requirements and promoting solid work", "Adhere to the masses as the main body and stimulate endogenous power". These "six insistences" are very important elements of the path of poverty alleviation and development with Chinese characteristics formed since the 18th National Congress, and also valuable experience in poverty alleviation and development formed since the 18th National Congress. This section is the main part of the excerpt of this discussion. It is very ideological and instructive, and we need to study and understand it well.
The eighth topic, which is the last topic, is the last section of the summary of the discussion. This is a new perspective, from the perspective of working together to eradicate poverty and build a community with a shared future for mankind, and from an international and global perspective to look at China's poverty alleviation today.
Poverty eradication is the common mission of mankind. As the most populous developing country in the world, China is both an active advocate and a strong promoter of the international cause of poverty reduction. On the one hand, China has solved the poverty problem of more than 700 million people, which is equivalent to 70% of the world's total poverty reduction. China's poverty alleviation and development work itself is a great contribution to the cause of international poverty reduction. On the other hand, China actively carries out South South cooperation, provides assistance to developing countries within our capabilities without attaching any political conditions, and supports and helps developing countries, especially the least developed countries, to eradicate poverty. From this topic and this perspective, it can be seen very clearly that China's poverty alleviation and development is of world significance, China's proposition for international poverty reduction, and China's wisdom. China's fight against poverty will not only benefit the Chinese people, but also promote the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind free of poverty and developing together.
Just now, I have made a brief introduction to the background, main contents and structural framework of the whole book from several aspects. It can be seen that the General Secretary's important statement on poverty alleviation is rich in content and profound in thought, forming a scientific system with close internal links. When we study the book "Xi Jinping's Excerpt of Poverty Alleviation Discussion", we need to study it carefully one topic at a time, one item at a time, and grasp it as a whole, which may help us better understand the scientific connotation, spiritual essence and practical requirements of the General Secretary's statement on poverty alleviation, We should better use these important statements of the General Secretary to guide our work.
Understanding and grasping the significance of poverty alleviation from five aspects
Host: As mentioned in the introduction just now, poverty alleviation is of great significance for building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way and achieving the first century goal. Please further talk about how to understand and grasp the significance of poverty alleviation in combination with the excerpts of the discussion.
Chen Li: As I said just now, it is of great significance to win the battle against poverty and build a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way by 2020. It marks the first time that absolute poverty will be eliminated as a whole in the thousands of years of historical development of the Chinese nation. This is a matter of great significance not only for the Chinese nation, but also for human development. It is enough to shine through the annals of history and make great contributions.
How to understand the significance of this aspect? Can we grasp it from these five aspects.
First, eradicating poverty, improving people's livelihood and achieving common prosperity are the essential requirements of socialism and the important mission of our Party. As you know, the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out at the beginning that the original intention and mission of the Chinese Communists is to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. Why are we building socialism? We are building socialism to make people live a happy life. As we all know, after so many years of development, the living standards of most people in our country have greatly improved, with the emergence of middle-income groups and high-income groups. But at the same time, we must frankly admit that there are still many low-income people. And it is precisely low-income people who really need help. The General Secretary made it clear that poverty is not socialism. If the poverty-stricken areas remain poor for a long time, their appearance will not be changed, and the life of the masses will not be significantly improved for a long time, then the superiority of our socialist system will not be reflected, nor will it be socialism.
Second, it is our party's solemn commitment to let the poor people and poor areas join the people of the whole country in entering a well-off society. To complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects on schedule and achieve the first centenary goal is a key step towards the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Judging from our current actual situation, although there are some problems in the city, there will be no major problem to achieve a well-off society in an all-round way by 2020. What's the big problem? Still in the countryside. The most arduous and arduous task of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way lies in the countryside, especially in poor areas, which is the biggest "short board" of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way. Proceeding from the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly proposed that by 2020, all rural poor people under the current standards of our country should be lifted out of poverty, all poor counties should be removed from their hats, and regional overall poverty should be solved. This is a solemn commitment made by our Party. There is no room for bargaining. It must be completed by then.
Third, our country has made great achievements in poverty alleviation, but the task we are facing is still very arduous. As mentioned earlier, we still have more than 30 million poor people by the end of 2017. In order to build a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way on schedule, we need to reduce the number of poor people by more than 10 million a year. This task is becoming more and more difficult and costly. It is becoming more and more difficult. But why do you say that? We can see from three aspects why it becomes more and more difficult to chew.
First, from a structural perspective, most of the existing poverty is in areas and people with poor natural conditions, weak economic foundation and deep poverty. It is really difficult to solve these poverty problems.
Second, from the perspective of group distribution, most of them are disabled people, lonely elderly people, and long-term sick patients. These people can be said to belong to the poverty-stricken population who are "unemployed and unable to get out of poverty". There are also some poor people with relatively low educational level and lack of vocational skills. It is also very difficult to solve their poverty alleviation problem.
Third, from the perspective of poverty alleviation goals, it is relatively easy to solve the "two no worries" of not worrying about food and clothing, but it is difficult to achieve the "three guarantees" of compulsory education, basic medical care and housing safety.
However, no matter how hard this hard bone is, no matter how hard this battle is, we must win, overcome this difficulty, and achieve the 2020 goal.
Fourth, the fight against poverty is related to the Party's governing security and popular support. We often say that those who win the hearts of the people win the world. The ruling of the Communist Party of China in China is to benefit the people, and only by doing so, can our party's ruling foundation be firm as a rock. Politically, the CPC has led the people of the whole country to carry out anti-poverty work, consolidating the ruling foundation of our party and the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. In the process of international changes, the important reason why our party and the socialist system can stand still is that our party's line, principles and policies have brought tangible benefits to the people, who support us and support the socialist system. The General Secretary said that people's livelihood is the biggest politics. There is a very profound truth in it.
Fifthly, it is a very important measure to implement the concept of shared development and solve the problem of social fairness and justice to strengthen the support for people in need and win the battle against poverty. Since the reform and opening up, our country's economy has indeed made great progress. Now we are firmly in the second place in the world's economic aggregate. The cake is growing bigger and bigger. However, in terms of sharing the fruits of reform and development, we still have some imperfections, both from the actual situation and from the perspective of system design. This requires us to adhere to the people centered development thought, adhere to the development for the people, rely on the people, and share the fruits of development with the people, so that all people move towards common prosperity. We must avoid or say that we must not have the phenomenon that "the rich accumulate millions while the poor eat dross".
From the above five aspects, we can see clearly that poverty alleviation is of great significance today. To win the battle against poverty, we must first unify our thinking, raise awareness, unify our thinking and understanding with the spirit of the Central Committee and the General Secretary's statement on poverty alleviation, and enhance our sense of responsibility, mission and urgency in poverty alleviation. This is the first problem to be solved when we study the Extract of Xi Jinping's Discussion on Poverty Alleviation and the discussion of General Secretary Xi Jinping on poverty alleviation.
Experience of "Six Adherences" in Poverty Alleviation: "Adhere to the leadership of the Party and strengthen organizational guarantee" tops the list
Moderator: Just now you mentioned the valuable experience of "six insistences", among which "adhering to the leadership of the Party and strengthening organizational guarantee" ranks first. Please talk about why this issue should be highlighted in the fight against poverty?
Chen Li: After 40 years of development since reform and opening up, we have successfully embarked on a path of poverty alleviation and development with Chinese characteristics. We have successfully lifted more than 700 million people out of poverty, laying a very solid foundation for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The General Secretary summed up the valuable experience of our country's poverty alleviation and development since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and summarized it as "six insistences". Among the "six insistences", the first one is "to adhere to the leadership of the Party and strengthen organizational guarantee". What are the highlights of this book? My personal experience, the first big bright spot is probably reflected in this.
As we all know, since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, our understanding of upholding and strengthening the leadership of the Party has greatly improved compared with the past. To say that profound changes have taken place and historic achievements have been made since the 18th CPC National Congress, a very important aspect is reflected in this. The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly pointed out that the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the greatest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and the Party is the highest political leadership. The Party, the government, the army and the people learn from each other. In the east, west, north and south, the Party leads everything. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the fundamental reason why we have made such great historical achievements and why such profound historical changes have taken place is the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, and the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
In terms of poverty alleviation, strengthening the leadership of the Party is also a top priority. This is one of the fundamental reasons for the great historical progress made in poverty alleviation and development since the 18th CPC National Congress, and one of the most basic experiences. We must persist unswervingly. The General Secretary stressed that the more we fight against poverty, the more we need to strengthen and improve the leadership of the Party. Its profound truth lies here.
In the fight against poverty, how can we adhere to the leadership of the Party and strengthen the organizational guarantee? From the excerpt of Xi Jinping's Poverty Alleviation Discussion, I can sort it out and mainly focus on three aspects.
First, we must give play to the role of Party committees at all levels in taking charge of the overall situation and coordinating all parties. It is necessary to implement the responsibility system of the first leader for poverty alleviation, and the five level secretaries of provinces, cities, counties and villages should work together to provide a strong political guarantee for poverty alleviation. This is our political advantage as well as our institutional advantage. The General Secretary has indeed set a very good example for the whole Party in this regard. As we know, after the 18th National Congress, the General Secretary went to Fuping, Hebei Province to investigate poverty alleviation for the second time. After the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has arrived at 14 places that are closely connected. The General Secretary made it very clear that the only purpose of his research in these places was to see the real poverty, help the real poverty, and help the poor. He also said that during his more than 40 years of working at the county, city, province and central government, poverty alleviation has always been an important part of his work, and he has spent most of his energy. He has always been concerned about this problem. Not long ago, when he went to Guangdong for an investigation, he went to see the poverty-stricken areas. He said, "I have always been thinking about the villagers in the poverty-stricken areas. If they don't get rid of poverty, I can't rest down." When I saw here, I was very touched. I think the General Secretary is so busy and still spends so much energy, always thinking about the poverty-stricken areas and the poverty-stricken masses, It really set a good example for the provincial, municipal, county and village five level secretaries on how to help the poor.
Second, we should strengthen the working mechanism of the central planning, the province taking overall responsibility, and the city and county grasping the implementation, strengthen the responsibility system of the top leaders of the party and government taking overall responsibility, and strengthen the key role of the county party committee as the county's general headquarters for poverty alleviation.
Third, we should do a good job in building grass-roots Party organizations. As early as in Fuping, Hebei, the General Secretary made it very clear when he inspected the poverty alleviation situation that the key to rural development and farmers' prosperity lies in the branch. During the investigation, the General Secretary held a special discussion with the masses of Gujiatai Village, the village committee and the village party branch, and made a comprehensive and systematic discussion on how to strengthen poverty alleviation and how to strengthen the construction of rural grass-roots party organizations. The General Secretary pointed out that the rural grass-roots party organizations are the basis for all the work and combat effectiveness of the Party in rural areas, and are the battle fortress to implement the Party's plan for poverty alleviation and development. Looking back, we can see why we have made such important achievements in poverty alleviation and development in the past 40 years, especially in the six years since the 18th National Congress. A very important experience is to do a good job in party building to promote poverty alleviation. This experience should be carried forward well. In the process of poverty alleviation, poverty alleviation and development should be organically combined with the construction of grass-roots organizations. In this way, the role of grass-roots party organizations as a battleground in poverty alleviation and development will play a great role in promoting the work of poverty alleviation and development.
Poverty alleviation, highlighting "precision"
Host: We know that adhering to targeted poverty alleviation and targeted poverty alleviation is the basic strategy of poverty alleviation and development since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Now, I would like to ask you to talk about poverty alleviation and poverty alleviation in combination with Xi Jinping's Excerpt of Poverty Alleviation, why should we emphasize the word "precision"?
Chen Li: Targeted poverty alleviation and targeted poverty alleviation are the basic strategies for poverty alleviation and development since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, an important part of the path of poverty alleviation and development with Chinese characteristics summarized since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and an important embodiment of the theoretical and practical innovation of poverty alleviation and development since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. If you want to ask, what impressed you most about poverty alleviation and development since the 18th National Congress? I think many netizens may think of the word "precision". This really reflects the outstanding characteristics of poverty alleviation since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and is a concept and connotation with the characteristics of the times. I think it is also the highlight and important content of Xi Jinping's Excerpt of Poverty Alleviation.
How to understand "precision"? At least three aspects can be understood.
First, "precision" is very important for poverty alleviation. In the words of the General Secretary, precision is the most important factor in the promotion of poverty alleviation and development to today's level, and precision is the key to success or failure. Why does the General Secretary emphasize "precision" like this? In my personal experience, in the past, when we were engaged in poverty alleviation and development, there were probably more general requirements and universal requirements, and there were more flood irrigation and large-scale poverty alleviation. The General Secretary said that there are a hundred kinds of poverty and a thousand kinds of poverty. It is no good to use hand grenades to fry fleas in order to carry out flood flooding, take a quick look at flowers and transform them into large ones. We should show our skill of "embroidering". As you can see, the concepts and words used by the General Secretary here are very precise. Bombing fleas with grenades does not work. Southerners, especially comrades in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, know that "embroidery" is a very delicate skill.
Second, what exactly does the word "precision" mean? In my personal experience, the key to the so-called "targeted poverty alleviation" and "targeted poverty alleviation" is that we should not just focus on eyebrows and beards, but also take measures according to the village, the household and the people. We should take the right medicine, targeted drip irrigation and targeted treatment. Poverty alleviation should be carried out to the point and the root. In a word, it is necessary to proceed from reality, analyze specific problems, enhance pertinence and effectiveness.
Specifically, "precision" mainly includes six aspects. First, the objects of support should be precise; Second, the project arrangement should be precise; Third, the use of funds should be accurate; Fourth, the measures should be precise to each household; Fifth, the village should send people, actually the first secretary, precisely; Sixth, poverty alleviation efforts should be targeted. When we say "precision", we mainly include these six aspects.
Third, since "precision" is so important, how can we achieve targeted poverty alleviation? I think it is mainly to solve four problems.
First, we should solve the problem of "who to support". This is targeted poverty alleviation. The first problem to be solved is the premise of targeted poverty alleviation. It is necessary to make clear the real poor people, the causes and the degree of poverty through the work of filing and card filing that is being done everywhere. This will lay a solid foundation for targeted poverty alleviation, targeted poverty alleviation and targeted policy implementation.
Why is it so important to solve the problem of accurate object recognition today? I think this is also a summary of our past experience in poverty alleviation and development.
How did we get the number of poor people in the past? It is mainly calculated by the National Bureau of Statistics on the basis of sampling survey. The actual result is that we know how many poor people there are in which provinces and counties in our country. However, it is not clear who is poor, what is the cause of poverty, and what is the degree of poverty in our country, province, county, and village. Why did the past practice turn out to be big, why did it flood, and why was the actual effect not so ideal? I'm afraid that's the important reason. The targets of poverty alleviation have not been accurately identified, and some of the measures we have taken can only be more general and more universal. However, it is not enough to take targeted measures and methods specifically for the poor. The General Secretary emphasized the importance of accurate identification of this problem. He used a vivid metaphor, just like buttons, the first button must be buttoned well. If the deduction is not good and the target of poverty is not determined, the targeted measures will not be discussed. Disease has its root and poverty has its root. We must find out the root of disease and poverty before we can prescribe the right medicine. Only when the disease is cured and poverty can be eradicated, I am afraid this is the profound reason.
The second is to solve the problem of "who will help". As mentioned earlier, the key to advancing poverty alleviation is to assign responsibilities to people. Therefore, on the question of who will help, we should strengthen the management system of the central planning, the province taking the overall responsibility, and the cities and counties focusing on the implementation. We should achieve clear division of labor, clear responsibility, and responsibility in place.
Third, we should solve the problem of "how to help". We should implement classified policies according to the specific conditions of poor areas and poor people. Different measures and methods should be taken to solve the specific difficulties of this region and this difficult group in a targeted way.
To be specific, it is to implement the "five batch projects". Which "five in a batch"? That is, developing production to alleviate poverty, relocating to other places, ecological compensation, education and social security. As you can see, the "five batches" are very targeted. For example, the natural conditions in some places are really very poor. It is very difficult to build infrastructure, such as water, electricity and roads. It requires a lot of investment, but the effect is not necessarily good. How can we solve the problem of poverty in these places? It is necessary to relocate the poor people in this place to places with relatively good natural, economic and living conditions through relocation, so as to solve the problem of poverty alleviation in places with relatively poor natural conditions. In addition, some of the poor people have completely or partially lost their ability to work, about 20 million. We will finally solve the problem of poverty alleviation through social security.
Fourth, we should solve the problem of "how to return". We should accelerate the establishment of an exit mechanism for poverty-stricken counties and poverty-stricken households that reflects the objective reality, and strive to achieve targeted poverty alleviation. Judging from the actual situation, frankly speaking, poor counties are not pleasant to hear, but because they have policy support, they are actually beneficial or valuable. Therefore, some places may have been lifted out of poverty according to standards, but they are unwilling to take off this hat. Among them, it should be said that there are certain objective realities. It may have just been lifted out of poverty, but the foundation is still not so solid. I hope that the policy can be maintained for some time. In practice, the poor counties that have reached the poverty alleviation standard can take off their hats, but at the same time, the previous corresponding policies can be maintained for a period of time. They can also take another step to continue to consolidate their poverty alleviation achievements.
The same is true for poor households, and a dynamic management should also be carried out. You may have reached the poverty alleviation standard. If you withdraw from there, you will be cancelled. However, some people who did not go in before or have special circumstances after withdrawing, such as getting sick and returning to poverty, can also be re entered for help. I think that if we solve the problem of "how to retreat", targeted poverty alleviation, targeted poverty alleviation, it will be more targeted, more scientific, and more in line with the actual situation.
Fundamental solution to poverty alleviation requires good use of external force and stimulation of internal force
Host: For poverty alleviation and development work, it is necessary to grasp the relationship between external forces and internal forces. How to understand and grasp this problem?
Chen Li: It is really a very important relationship to make good use of external forces and stimulate internal forces. Materialist dialectics holds that the internal cause is the basis of change, the external cause is the condition of change, and the external cause should work through the internal cause. Whether it is poor areas or poor people, the reason why they are poor and difficult is that they have poor conditions and foundation in all aspects. It is really difficult to extricate itself from poverty. Our socialism has institutional advantages. It is absolutely necessary and proper for us to give some support and help to poor areas and poor people so that they can enter a moderately prosperous society together with the people of the whole country. However, if there is only external force and no endogenous power, it may solve temporary problems, without the stamina of sustainable development, and cannot solve fundamental problems. Therefore, the key is to stimulate the endogenous power of poor areas and poor people while making good use of external forces. In this way, external and internal forces are combined to form a resultant force, which can fundamentally solve the problem of poverty alleviation.
I think it can be understood in two aspects. On the one hand, how to make good use of external forces. The Excerpt of Xi Jinping's Poverty Alleviation Discussion also makes it very clear that the fourth topic is to discuss the issue of "insisting on increasing investment and strengthening financial support", which is an important aspect of making good use of external forces. The central government and the provincial government are the main bodies of our investment and fund guarantee. As you know, the downward pressure on China's economy has increased, which will undoubtedly affect the increase of fiscal revenue. However, in terms of poverty alleviation funds, not only should they not be reduced because of this situation, but they should also be significantly increased. It is also very clear from the excerpt of Xi Jinping's Poverty Alleviation Discussion that a number is disclosed in the book. On page 92, there are four years of statistics in this regard. How much has it increased from the end of 2012 to the end of 2016? The central government has allocated 196.1 billion yuan of special funds for poverty alleviation, with an average annual growth of 19.22%, of which 66.7 billion yuan was the largest in 2016, with an increase of more than 43%. It can be seen that the central government has indeed made great efforts to strengthen financial support and increase investment.
On the other hand, the fifth topic of this book is about "adhering to social mobilization and gathering all forces". It is a reflection of the superiority of the socialist system to pool all forces to help the poor. Poverty alleviation and development is not only a matter for the poor areas and the poor people themselves, but also a common responsibility of the whole Party and society. We often say that people are united and Mount Tai moves. We should give full play to the role of the government and the society, build a pattern of special poverty alleviation, industry poverty alleviation and social poverty alleviation that complement each other, mobilize the enthusiasm of all parties, and form an atmosphere and pattern of broad participation of the whole society in poverty alleviation. Among them, there are three aspects of strength that should be given full play.
First, we should give full play to the strength of poverty alleviation cooperation and counterpart support between the East and the West. It is a big policy measure to achieve coordinated regional development, help the rich before they become rich, and achieve common prosperity. Today, the poverty alleviation cooperation and counterpart support between the East and the West should shift more from the "blood transfusion" model to the "blood production" model. The eastern region has advantages in capital, technology and management. The central and western regions also have their advantages, such as rich resources and broad markets. We should combine the advantages of both sides, especially through industrial poverty alleviation, so that both sides can achieve mutual benefit and common development. This will help realize the sustainable development of the central and western regions.
Second, we should give full play to the power of Party, government and military organs, enterprises and institutions. Many organs and units have the task of targeted poverty alleviation, which is a very important political task. All units should shoulder such political responsibilities from a political perspective.
Third, we should mobilize the whole society. We can learn from the successful practices of some countries, such as how to innovate our country's philanthropy and make good use of the strength in this regard. For another example, not long ago, the General Secretary wrote back to the private entrepreneurs who were praised in the "Ten Thousand Enterprises Helping Ten Thousand Villages" action. On the one hand, he reiterated that our policy of supporting the development of private economy would not change, and on the other hand, he fully affirmed that private enterprises would actively participate in poverty alleviation. The reply disclosed an important figure. By the end of last year, 46200 private enterprises had helped 51200 villages nationwide. This is an important part of poverty alleviation by our social forces. These are all the questions we just mentioned about how we can make good use of external resources to provide assistance in terms of funds, poverty alleviation cooperation and counterpart support, Party, government and military organs, enterprises and institutions, and the whole society.
In terms of stimulating endogenous power, today is even more important. We should pay special attention to giving play to the role of the main body of the masses, and stimulate the endogenous power of the poor areas and people in need. The General Secretary made it very clear when he visited Hebei to help the poor that the development of poor areas should rely on endogenous power. Emphasize that poverty alleviation is not charity, but to guide and support all people with labor ability to rely on their own hands to create a better tomorrow. How to make good use of internal power and how to stimulate the endogenous power of poor areas and people in need? I think there are four aspects that can help us better understand and grasp.
First, we should fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of the poor people. Reviewing the practice of poverty alleviation and development, whether since the reform and opening up or the 18th National Congress, the achievements of poverty alleviation and development are the result of the joint efforts of the whole party and society, including poor areas and poor people. But today we should also see that in some places, it is not enough to mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of the poor people. What happened? In some places, cadres are anxious, while the masses are not. The cadres work there and the masses watch. There is a very vivid saying that we should lean against the wall to bask in the sun and wait for others to send us off. This situation is not conducive to poverty alleviation and sustainable development in poor areas. Why? We often have the same saying, "Save the poor, not the lazy.". We should not turn a good policy into a policy for lazy people. Although poverty will bring great difficulties, what is terrible is to live in poverty, waiting for others to help, waiting for others to give alms. If you don't have the ambition to get rid of poverty, no amount of help can only solve temporary difficulties, not fundamental problems, nor long-term management. Therefore, the book "Excerpts of Xi Jinping's Poverty Alleviation Discussion" makes it very clear that poverty alleviation should be combined with supporting aspirations, the initiative, creativity and enthusiasm of the masses should be fully mobilized, the poor masses should be guided to establish a sense of subjectivity, carry forward the spirit of self-reliance, and change "I want to get rid of poverty" into "I want to get rid of poverty".
Second, we should improve the ways and means of assistance. We should change the practice of simply giving money, goods and a few cows and sheep. We should not do everything in our power. What better way to take? For example, we will organize and mobilize poverty-stricken people to participate in the implementation of assistance projects by means of work with relief, production subsidies, labor subsidies, etc., so that more work will pay more. If you participate more and pay more, you will get more returns. It is still necessary to guide the people in need to shake off poverty with their own hands and hard work, so as to become rich.
Third, we should cultivate the skills of poor people to develop production and work and do business, and organize, guide and support them to work hard to get rid of poverty and become rich. Some poor people either have a relatively low level of education or lack of various professional skills, which affects whether it is farming, or developing other sidelines, but also affects the ability to work in cities. It is not easy to find a job, nor may it be able to find a suitable job. Therefore, we still need to make great efforts in training. Because we often say that it is better to teach people how to fish than to teach them how to fish. As an old saying goes, it is also the same reason that a family with a vast expanse of fertile land is better off with poor skills. To improve the education level, we have a skill. Whether we stay in the local area or go out to work, we can find a better way to get rid of poverty and become rich.
Fourth, fundamentally speaking, we should focus on education as the fundamental plan of poverty alleviation. From the perspective of cultivating the next generation, we should let children from poor rural areas and poor families receive fair and good education, at least let them learn a useful skill, and not let our children from poor people lose at the starting line. We should try our best to cut off the intergenerational transmission of poverty through education. In reality, there is a gap between urban and rural education resources. In this regard, Party committees and governments at all levels should, in accordance with the spirit of the Central Committee, better equalize educational resources in urban and rural areas, especially in poverty-stricken areas, so that children of poor people in poverty-stricken areas can receive better education. In the long run, this is a fundamental measure.
Above, a brief introduction to the main contents of Xi Jinping's Excerpt of Poverty Alleviation Discussion was made to all netizens from five aspects. Although the introduction is very short, from five aspects, we can see that the General Secretary's poverty alleviation is very rich and the discussion on poverty alleviation is very profound, which is of great guiding significance for us to win the battle against poverty. At the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, it was clearly stated that we should fight three major battles to overcome poverty, which sounded the call of attack to win the battle against poverty. Now, it is only two years or less before we win the battle. It is not only a tight time, but also a very heavy task. To accomplish this task, we need the whole party and society to really work hard. We need to deeply understand the important statement of the General Secretary on poverty alleviation by studying the Extract of Xi Jinping's Poverty Alleviation Discussion, unify our thoughts and actions to the spirit and deployment of the Central Committee, strengthen our confidence, overcome difficulties, and strive for the great victory of poverty alleviation!
Host: Thank you very much, Mr. Chen, for sharing today. Thank you again.
