On 18 September 2020, the Online International Conference on “Securing a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society · Share China's Poverty Alleviation Program-ASEAN Media's View on China's Poverty Alleviation” was successfully held. The conference gathered around 30 participants online and offline, including government officials, experts, scholars and media representatives from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam. Mr. Wang Hao, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of China Daily, and Mr. Chen Dehai, Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), delivered remarks via video.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief Wang Hao stated that China has always been an active advocate and strong promoter of global poverty reduction. Over the years, China and ASEAN countries have carried out frequent cooperation in poverty reduction with fruitful results. In the face of the dual challenges posed by the pandemic and poverty alleviation, media, as a window for mutual understanding between people from various countries and a bridge and link for multinational communication and exchanges, should tell the poverty alleviation stories well, make an objective and rational voice, promote the dissemination of science-based knowledge, learn from each other and share useful experience. Only in this way can we overcome the pandemic, eradicate poverty, build consensus and convey confidence.

Secretary-General Chen Dehai pointed out that poverty reduction is one of the common challenges facing the international community. With the Covid-19 pandemic posing severe threat to the anti-poverty efforts worldwide, the international community should enhance coordination and exert joint efforts to end poverty in all its forms everywhere. ASEAN and China should seize on the new round of technology revolution and industrial transformation and provide more job opportunities for the poor by using the platform of digital economy. The two sides should bring into full play media’s role in enhancing mutual learning and experience sharing in poverty reduction, and work together to eradicate poverty in the region and build a close ASEAN-China community with a shared future.

In-depth discussions were conducted centring on two issues: “Sharing China’s Poverty Alleviation Programme” and “Prospects of China-ASEAN Poverty Alleviation Collaboration”. The participants highly commended China’s success in poverty alleviation, applauded the significant progress jointly achieved by ASEAN and China in this field, and put forward pertinent suggestions on the prospects of the future cooperation in poverty reduction between the two sides. Mr. Sreng Sataro, Minister Counselor of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia, and Mr. Arianto Surojo, Director of Information and Public Relations Division of ACC, made brief summaries at the conference.

The conference was hosted by China Daily and supported by ACC, of which the video recording will be released on CHINADAILY.com.cn in the near future.