《人类减贫的中国实践》白皮书White Paper: Poverty Alleviation: China's Experience and Contribution

改革开放初期，面对中国农村贫困人口基数大、贫困发生率高的严峻形势，以邓小平同志为核心的第二代中央领导集体，作出“贫穷不是社会主义，社会主义要消灭贫穷”的重要论断，提出到20世纪末人民生活达到小康水平的目标，制定“三步走”发展战略【中共十三大提出，党的十一届三中全会以后，中国经济建设的战略部署大体分三步走。第一步，实现国民生产总值比1980年翻一番，解决人民的温饱问题。第二步，到20世纪末，使国民生产总值再增长一倍，人民生活达到小康水平。第三步，到21世纪中叶，人均国民生产总值达到中等发达国家水平，人民生活比较富裕，基本实现现代化。】，提出“两个大局”的战略构想【1988年，邓小平同志明确提出：“沿海地区要加快对外开放，使这个拥有两亿人口的广大地带较快地先发展起来，从而带动内地更好地发展，这是一个事关大局的问题。内地要顾全这个大局。反过来，发展到一定的时候，又要求沿海拿出更多力量来帮助内地发展，这也是个大局。那时沿海也要服从这个大局。”来源：《邓小平文选》第三卷。】，实施一系列农业农村重大改革，从国家层面开展大规模、有计划、有组织的扶贫开发。在农村实施以家庭联产承包为主的生产责任制和统分结合的双层经营体制，理顺了农村最基本的生产关系，调动了农民生产积极性，使农业生产迅速扭转了长期徘徊不前的局面。实施农产品流通体制改革，大力发展乡镇企业，促进了农村整体收入水平提高。成立专门扶贫机构，确定了扶贫标准、重点片区和贫困县，启动实施“三西”农业建设【“三西”指甘肃省河西地区、定西地区和宁夏回族自治区西海固地区，是改革开放初期全国集中连片最困难的地区之一。1982年12月，中国启动实施“三西”农业建设，共涉及47个县（市、区）（1992年扩大到57个）。“三西”农业建设在中国扶贫开发历程中具有开创性、先导性、示范性意义，在改革单纯救济式扶贫为开发式扶贫、集中力量实施片区开发、易地搬迁扶贫、扶贫开发与生态建设相结合等方面进行了成功探索，对于从1986年开始在全国范围开展大规模、有计划、有组织的扶贫开发产生了深远影响。】。通过一系列重大举措，解放了农村生产力，释放了农村活力，推动了农村经济发展，促进了农民收入增加和观念更新，中国扶贫开发进入历史新时期。

In the initial period of reform and opening up, confronted by the grim challenge of a large rural impoverished population base and a high incidence of poverty, the second generation of the central collective leadership headed by Deng Xiaoping issued a declaration that "Poverty is not socialism; socialism means eliminating poverty". It set the goal of ensuring the people a moderately prosperous life by the end of the 20th century, formulated a three-step strategic plan [ The 13th CPC National Congress proposed that a three-step strategic plan for China's economic development would be laid out after the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee: doubling the 1980 GNP by the end of the 1980s and ensuring that the people would have adequate food and clothing as the first step; doubling the 1990 GNP by the end of the 20th century and ensuring the people a moderately prosperous life as the second step; and increasing the per capita GNP level to that of moderately developed countries, ensuring the people a relatively affluent life, and realizing basic modernization by the middle of the 21st century as the third step. ], and articulated the vision of "Two Development Strategies" [ In 1988, Deng Xiaoping proposed that "The coastal areas, which comprise a vast region with a population of 200 million, should accelerate their opening to the outside world, and we should help them develop rapidly first; afterwards they can promote the development of the interior. The development of the coastal areas is of overriding importance, and the interior provinces should subordinate themselves to it. When the coastal areas have developed to a certain extent, they will be required to give more help to the interior. Then, the development of the interior provinces will be of overriding importance, and the coastal areas will in turn have to subordinate themselves to it." (Source: "The Central Leadership Must Have Authority", Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, Vol III.) ]. A swathe of major reforms involving agriculture and rural areas were launched, providing for a massive, planned, well-organized poverty alleviation effort at the national level. The two-tier management system adopted in the rural areas, integrating cooperative management with household contract management, clarified the most basic production relations and inspired the farmers' enthusiasm, bringing an end to a period of protracted stagnation in agricultural output. Reform of the distribution system for agricultural products was enacted. A major effort was made to develop township enterprises in order to increase overall incomes in rural areas. Special poverty alleviation agencies were set up, poverty standards were set, key impoverished areas and counties were identified, and a special plan for agricultural development in the three western regions [ The three western regions were Hexi Region and Dingxi Region in Gansu Province and the mountainous region in southern Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the most impoverished contiguous areas in the country at the beginning of reform and opening up. In December 1982, China launched poverty alleviation initiatives in these regions to boost their agricultural development. This involved 47 counties, cities and districts (which expanded to 57 in 1992). It was a groundbreaking project in China's poverty alleviation efforts. It set a precedent in regional poverty alleviation, accumulating rich experience in moving from relief-based poverty alleviation to development-driven poverty alleviation, pooling resources for the development of impoverished areas, for poverty alleviation through relocation, and for combining development-driven poverty alleviation with developing the eco-economy. These successful measures have had a profound influence on massive, planned, well-organized poverty alleviation efforts across the country starting from 1986. ] was launched. These measures liberated the rural productive forces, released vitality, boosted economic development, increased farmers' incomes, and updated their mindsets. Development-driven poverty alleviation opened a new chapter in China.