ISTANBUL — A Turkish expert has urged other countries across the world to learn from China's experience in eradicating poverty, which he called "one of China's biggest achievements."
"Reducing the number of the poor is an ongoing and positive process that has affected hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens over the years," Altay Atli, an Asia-Pacific expert and academic at Istanbul's Bogazici University, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
According to official data, China has lifted more than 700 million people out of poverty over the past several decades, representing over 70 percent of global poverty reduction.
Over the past four years, China has relocated 9.3 million poor rural residents to more inhabitable areas, 9.2 million of whom later got rid of poverty, the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planning body, said in March.
Noting that China can share its experience in poverty alleviation with other nations, Atli stressed that "each country has its own environment and should address it (poverty) in their own way."
"Turkey is also fighting for decades to eradicate poverty and is trying to implement an inclusive economic development scheme, integrating all components of the society, without regional distinctions," the expert said.
Regarding the coronavirus pandemic that has hit the global economy hard, he said that "promising economic data has started to come from China, especially in the production area after a hiatus."
Noting the entire world is going through a very tough period because of the pandemic, Atli said there are "great uncertainties regarding global economy as supply and demand have been disrupted."
"China should continue to supply high value-added technological products for users across the globe, because this is what the world would need and value after this pandemic," he said.