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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Almaty, November 18 (Xinhua) — Taisiya Marmontova, an associate professor at the Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities at Astana International University, spoke in an exclusive interview with Xinhua about the importance of China's experience in combating poverty for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the possibilities for further cooperation in the Eurasian region.
According to her, over the past four decades, China has made remarkable progress in eliminating extreme poverty. "According to World Bank estimates, approximately 800 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty, accounting for more than 70-75 percent of the global reduction in this indicator. This achievement is the result not only of economic growth but also of targeted policies," the expert explained.
According to China's national poverty line—a poverty line of 2,300 yuan per year at 2010 prices—dramatic improvements have been achieved: in rural areas, the number of people below the poverty line has fallen from 98.99 million in 2012 to zero by 2020, and the poverty rate has fallen from 10.2 percent to 0 percent, stated T. Marmontova. This has been accompanied by large-scale investments in infrastructure—roads, communications, electricity, and water supply, she added.
The expert noted that, from a global perspective, China achieved the first Sustainable Development Goal—the elimination of extreme poverty—ten years ahead of schedule, a fact acknowledged in UN reports and several international studies. "This experience is particularly valuable for other SCO countries. The targeted poverty reduction policy that China has implemented combines economic recovery with targeted support for vulnerable households and develops rural infrastructure and local industrial clusters. This approach can be adapted in Central and South Asia—regions where rural poverty is often structurally similar," said T. Marmontova.
The agency's interlocutor emphasized that international cooperation in poverty reduction is key. She noted that China has already implemented hundreds of capacity-building programs to combat poverty in developing countries, including its SCO partners. The SCO Forum on Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development was also held in Xi'an this year. "In this sense, China's experience is not only a national success but also a resource for the entire SCO: with political will and agreed-upon tools, it can be partially replicated and adapted to the realities of other countries in the organization," the professor added.
Speaking about the SCO's achievements in recent years, T. Marmontova stated that the organization has transformed from a specialized, narrow "security club" into a major regional platform for cooperation among non-Western countries. This is supported not only by political declarations but also by its institutional architecture—the Business Council, the Interbank Association, the China-SCO Demonstration Zone in Qingdao, as well as transport and logistics corridors, agricultural and energy projects, she emphasized.
T. Marmontova also praised the SCO's role in supporting multilateralism. The expert noted that in the current era, when bloc confrontation is resurfacing and Western countries increasingly resort to unilateral sanctions and restrictions, the SCO demonstrates a unique model of multilateralism. "The SCO actively asserts its non-bloc nature—this is confirmed by the expansion of SCO formats, as well as cooperation with the UN and other international structures," she explained.
"Through SCO formats, analytical forums, youth and cultural programs, the organization creates horizontal connections between societies. This is a kind of 'soft multilateralism' that strengthens trust and cooperation," the professor added.
"The SCO shows that large states with different political systems and interests can still reach agreements rather than build new walls," concluded T. Marmontova.
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