China's remarkable success in lifting over 800 million people out of poverty has been hailed by former officials and scholars as a transformative global model for sustainable development, thanks to the Communist Party of China (CPC)'s people-centric vision.
Speaking to China Global Television Network (CGTN), Carlos Ron, former deputy minister of foreign affairs of Venezuela, commended the CPC’s leadership, highlighting its enduring impact since the 1980s. He emphasized that China’s achievements extend beyond internal progress, offering global alternatives through initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative.
"It's important to see how China in recent years, since the 1980s, has been able to, under the leadership of the CPC, take over 800 million people out of poverty. That is a remarkable achievement, and there's something that I think we should pay attention to. I think China is a leader right now, not only because it has been able to successfully carry out poverty alleviation, but also because it offers, in a time of great challenges for the world, it offers alternatives. China, in this sense, is not only planning for itself, but it's also through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, the Green Belt and Road, and it's trying to share these technological advances that it has achieved for more sustainable development," Ron said.
Echoing this perspective, Zoon Ahmed Khan, a researcher from the Center for China and Globalization in Pakistan, noted the CPC’s people-centric development as an inclusive and practical alternative to conventional Western approaches.
"Firstly, the CPC's vision for people-centric development is choosing a direction that is benefiting ordinary people, thinking about practical solutions, whereas in many other countries, politics has become about pitting people against one another instead of leading towards actual solutions. As with the Belt and Road Initiative, with the Global Development Initiative, and many multilateral initiatives in different regions, China is and the party, essentially is pushing for a discourse that is people-centric, and that is helping countries realize, like other panelists said, there are other paths forward. There are other ways in which we can actually improve the circumstances of our people. China's approach is very different from what the United States has been seen to lead with. China's approach has been more about uniting as it is domestically and now globally," Khan said.
Int'l official, scholar hail China's achievements in people-centered development
