BEIJING, Jun 12, (APP):“True development is not merely a reflection of GDP growth, but a holistic transformation of human capability and societal governance structures. China successfully redefined institutional frameworks to lift hundreds of millions out of poverty,” said Khalid Malik, former United Nations Resident Coordinator in China and former Director of the UNDP Human Development Report Office. He said as the keynote speaker at a seminar titled “Development as Transformation: …
Former UN official highlights China’s poverty alleviation model for development transformation
BEIJING, Jun 12, (APP):“True development is not merely a reflection of GDP growth, but a holistic transformation of human capability and societal governance structures. China successfully redefined institutional frameworks to lift hundreds of millions out of poverty,” said Khalid Malik, former United Nations Resident Coordinator in China and former Director of the UNDP Human Development Report Office.
He said as the keynote speaker at a seminar titled “Development as Transformation: Learning from China,” organized by the China Study Centre at COMSATS University Islamabad to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The event brought together global diplomats, university leadership, academia and students, including Chen Peng, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, as the Chief Guest.
Khalid Malik provided an in-depth analysis of China’s transformative development paradigm. Drawing on his extensive experience with the United Nations and his historic tenure in Beijing, he explained how China has redefined the institutional framework to lift hundreds of millions out of poverty.
China has secured a complete victory in the fight against poverty. According to official figures, the country has lifted all 98.99 million rural residents living below the current poverty line out of poverty. All 832 designated poverty-stricken counties and 128,000 impoverished villages have been removed from the poverty list, and the problem of regional overall poverty has been solved, completing the arduous task of eliminating absolute poverty, CEN reported on Friday.
Since China’s reform and opening-up, the country has achieved the poverty reduction target of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a decade ahead of schedule. According to the World Bank’s international poverty standard, China’s poverty reduction has accounted for more than 70 percent of global poverty reduction during the same period, significantly shrinking the world poverty map.
Poverty remains a persistent challenge for human societies, and lifting people out of poverty has been a prominent issue troubling global development and governance. Pakistan is no exception. The country’s poverty rate has risen to 28.9 percent, meaning nearly 29 out of every 100 Pakistanis now live below the poverty line, according to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2025-26.
The seminar highlighted that Pakistan has much to learn from China’s development experience. Pakistani policymakers have previously acknowledged that the country would benefit from China’s poverty alleviation model in underdeveloped districts. The transfer of knowledge in poverty alleviation and development offers a path to shared prosperity and a closer community with a shared future.
