Shanghai Spirit guides dream of achieving sustainable prosperity

The fight against poverty remains a shared aspiration for Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states. The 2025 SCO Forum on Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development, which opened on Tuesday in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, further solidified the willingness of the member states to enhance policy communication, share poverty reduction experience and deepen practical cooperation.

Around 240 participants, including 120 guests from Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Cambodia, attended the forum. China's achievement in eradicating absolute poverty, a decade ahead of the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, stands as a testament to the effectiveness of its governance model and development philosophy.

According to official data, 98.99 million residents in China's rural areas were lifted out of poverty, and 832 poverty-stricken counties and 128,000 impoverished villages were removed from the poverty list in 2021. China's poverty reduction experience offers significant inspiration for SCO member states.

As the rotating chair of the SCO this year, China is ready to help more countries explore poverty reduction and sustainable development paths that suit their national conditions. The country has not only rewritten its own history but also contributed to global poverty reduction efforts.

China's poverty reduction strategy, rooted in targeted measures and systemic reforms, offers valuable lessons. By integrating poverty alleviation into broader development plans, China has ensured that no one was left behind, whether through industrial development, education empowerment or social welfare enhancements. International observers have noted that China's success underscores the importance of strong institutional frameworks and adaptive policymaking.

China has actively shared its expertise within the SCO community. The China-Uzbekistan subcommittee on poverty reduction cooperation that came up during the China-Central Asia Summit in 2023 is the first subcommittee on poverty reduction that China established with other countries at the governmental level. Training programs and workshops on poverty reduction have become vital platforms for SCO officials.

At its core, poverty is a development issue, and the SCO's focus on sustainable growth aligns with this understanding. As 2025 is designated as the Year of Sustainable Development for the SCO, the bloc has prioritized economic resilience and inclusive progress. China's commitment to high-quality Belt and Road cooperation has further amplified regional integration, with trade between China and other SCO member states reaching a historic $890 billion in 2024.

From the influx of SCO agricultural products into the Chinese markets to the training of agricultural specialists from SCO members, tangible outcomes demonstrate the potential of shared prosperity.

The SCO's progress in poverty reduction and sustainability reflects the enduring spirit of mutual trust and win-win cooperation. China's approach, which combines domestic success with international solidarity, exemplifies the vision of "leaving no country behind". As the SCO enters a new phase of high-quality development, the emphasis on technology, equitable partnerships and sharing of knowledge will be pivotal. By uniting under the banner of the "Shanghai Spirit", SCO nations can harness collective strengths to address inequality, climate challenges and economic disparities.

China's journey from poverty to prosperity is not an isolated narrative but an invitation for global collaboration. As SCO countries continue to draw inspiration from China's model, the path toward a poverty-free future becomes increasingly attainable. The task ahead is to translate lessons into localized strategies, ensuring that development is not a privilege but a universal right.