Wahba praises Beijing's work on poverty reduction and climate change

China has made tremendous achievements in dealing with two main challenges for the world: poverty reduction and climate change, a senior official from the United Nations said.

Mourad Wahba, associate administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, said that to realize the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, by 2030, the world needs to work together to deal with various key challenges, including poverty reduction and climate change.

Poverty relief is a major challenge for realizing the SDGs, and China has taken the lead in releasing the implementation plan, he said.

According to the World Bank, China has lifted more than 800 million of its citizens out of poverty over the past few decades. That accounts for more than 70 percent of global poverty reduction.

"China has been a model of development, and it has developed very fast," he said. "The growth in China is due to the work of the Chinese people, and the wisdom of its leadership."

From his perspective, the world could learn from China's successful poverty relief in three steps. The first is for the government to have a strong will to eliminate poverty. Afterward, to transfer the will into development policies that could help realize a reduction in poverty, for example, to have richer areas of the country to mentor and support the poorest villages in how to reduce poverty. The third is to seek rapid economic growth.

Wahba said that climate change is "an existential challenge for the world" and asked for a common effort to counter it, noting that the world has witnessed rising temperature records during the past five years.

The rising temperatures would bring over many risks. For example, they will result in rising sea levels, which will then endanger the existence of coastal cities. Higher temperatures or humidity could produce more insects, which could trigger higher incidence of diseases such as malaria, he said.

Wahba said that China's path toward a low-carbon and even a de-carbon economy is extremely impressive.

"In terms of the use of renewable resources and renewable energy sources, I think China is on a scale that we haven't seen elsewhere in the world," he said, adding that China's promotion of electric vehicles and restrictions on purchasing gasoline automobiles are models for the development of a green economy.

Wahba added that China should share its experiences with the world.

To him, China is always a global power and its frequent connection with the rest of the world dates back to thousands of years ago.

He highly appreciated that China reaffirmed its opening-up commitment during the second China International Import Expo, or CIIE, held in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10, saying it will have a "positive impact" on the world.

"The more open our societies, the more open the world trade, the more everybody will benefit," he said.

Suthiphand Chirathivat, executive director of ASEAN Studies Center at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, said that China's emphasis on "an open world economy" during the CIIE sends a positive message to the world, especially with the uncertainties in today's global economy.

"China's support for an open global economy can show the world the way forward, not just in trade, but also investment and technology," he said, adding that China's experience will be conducive for a new model of global economic governance.