Recently, Ambassador Huang Shifang published on Le Défi and Le Mauricien an article entitled “Sailing Toward Shared Prosperity: China’s Experience in Poverty Alleviation”. The full text is as follows:

Human society is sailing across the vast ocean of development, with each nation charting its own course. Yet all countries face the same dangerous storm: poverty. Eradicating this scourge has become a shared mission of the global community.

As the largest developing country, facing poverty on a scale and with a complexity rarely seen elsewhere, China has answered this call. Over the past four decades, China has successfully lifted more than 800 million people out of poverty, accounting for over 75 percent of global poverty reduction during the past four decades. How, then, has the great ship of China remained steady and sailed so far?

Stabilizing the Ship: Great Leadership as the Ballast

Stability is the foundation of any long and demanding journey. Throughout China’s development process, the centralized and unified leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has functioned as a steady ballast, ensuring that the course of development remains firm and balanced amid changing circumstances. 

The CPC has fully played its core role in exercising overall leadership and coordinating the efforts of all sides, establishing a long-term institutional arrangement that integrates poverty eradication, prevention of a return to poverty, and rural revitalization. It has united and led the people to build a vertical governance system for poverty reduction from the central government to local levels, with all levels of government aligning their will and coordinating their actions, providing a fundamental guarantee for the steady advancement of poverty reduction.

As UN Secretary-General António Guterres has noted, China’s successful efforts in the fight against absolute poverty experience show the importance of political commitment at all levels of government and policy stability to improve the conditions of the poorest and most vulnerable.

Starting the Journey: People’s Livelihoods as the Sails

Every ship needs sails to catch the wind. In China’s voyage of development, the well-being of its people has been the primary source of momentum. This reflects China’s people-centered approach, which places livelihoods at the heart of poverty reduction. Particular attention has been given to deeply impoverished regions and the most vulnerable—women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities. China has always taken addressing the pressing needs and concerns of the people as both the starting point and ultimate goal of poverty alleviation, using public satisfaction as an important measure of its effectiveness.

Through the policy of the “Two Assurances and Three Guarantees”—ensuring adequate food and clothing, and securing access to compulsory education, basic medical care, and safe housing—China has addressed the most fundamental needs for survival and development. This approach has moved beyond growth alone, combining humane concern with strong institutions to ensure that development truly serves the people. 

Charting the Course: Targeted Policies as the Compass

No voyage can reach its destination without a clear course. China’s targeted policies, tailored to local conditions, have served as a reliable compass. The journey began by knocking on doors and listening. Every poor household was identified, its situation carefully recorded, and its needs clearly understood. Based on this detailed mapping, tailored support was provided to address specific challenges. In mountainous areas, farmers learned to transform steep slopes into terraces and natural scenery into tourism opportunities. In arid regions, families were supported in conserving water and cultivating drought-resistant crops. 

Rather than relying on pure welfare alone, China believes that it is better to teach people how to fish than simply give them fish. Poverty alleviation has therefore been integrated into the broader process of economic development, equipping local communities with the capacity for self-generated growth. Roads, 5G networks, and e-commerce platforms were extended to the remotest counties, matched with skills that generate sustainable income. Across the countryside, fruits, tea, and traditional embroidery have become sources of both pride and livelihood, developed into local brands. Together, these precision policies functioned as a steady compass, constantly adjusting course to guide the nation’s great ship toward the destination of shared prosperity.

Powering the Voyage: Collective Strength as the Engine

Even with sails and a compass, a ship needs a strong engine to overcome storms and currents. China’s engine lies in its ability to mobilize different levels of government, enterprises, social organizations, and society as a whole for coordinated action. 

The government plays a decisive role in top-level design and resource allocation, while encouraging innovative initiatives that engage all sectors. Developed eastern provinces are paired with less-developed western regions to share knowledge, technology, and expertise. Millions of civil servants, engineers, and young professionals were mobilized to live and work alongside communities in impoverished areas, carrying out poverty alleviation efforts on the front lines.

Enterprises and social associations participate through initiatives such as the “10,000 Enterprises Help 10,000 Villages” program and various charitable activities. Ordinary citizens also contribute through e-commerce platforms, transportation support, and product promotion. This whole-of-society approach has turned poverty alleviation into a shared mission, driving sustained and sustainable development and shared prosperity for all.

Beyond One Shore: Shared Experiences for a Connected World

China’s fight against poverty extends beyond its own borders. Its success offers confidence and inspiration to Global South countries striving for better lives. China’s poverty-alleviation experience has been transformed into global public goods through platforms such as the Global Development Initiative, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and the Belt and Road Initiative.

Through these frameworks, China stands ready to share resources and opportunities with Mauritius, its long-standing friend, in the common pursuit of happiness and prosperity. Guided by the shared belief that no one should be left behind, the Chinese Embassy has supported small, Mauritian-initiated projects that deliver tangible benefits. At Jean Eon RCA School, students from underprivileged families now sit in bright, airy classrooms, studying hard to pursue their dreams. In Port Louis, vulnerable families have strengthened their resilience to the dry season through rain-harvesting programs that improve daily livelihoods. Mauritian government officials have participated in training courses in China on poverty reduction, returning home to apply these lessons within their own communities. Through these initiatives, more families and individuals benefit directly from China-Mauritius cooperation.

Like two ships sailing side by side across the vast ocean, China and Mauritius can move forward together, guided by shared knowledge, practical experience, and mutual support, and jointly pursue a brighter and more prosperous future.