Interview: China plays role model in helping other countries alleviate poverty: Cambodian civil society chief

BATI, Cambodia, May 13 (Xinhua) -- China has played a role model in assisting other developing countries around the world to reduce poverty, said a Cambodian civil society chief on Sunday.

Kemreat Viseth, chairman of the Civil Society Alliance Forum (CSAF), said China has made great contributions to poverty alleviation globally, significantly contributing to maintaining peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region and in the world at large.

"I would like to highly value China's role model in helping other countries, especially Cambodia, alleviate poverty," he told Xinhua.

"This is a very good example for the world that China has actively contributed to poverty alleviation in the world," he added.

China's steadfast efforts in assisting other developing countries to reduce poverty will significantly contribute to building a global community of a shared future for mankind, he said.

For Cambodia, Viseth said the contributions from the government and people of China to Cambodia's development and poverty alleviation are "tremendous."

He said the CSAF has been carrying out a Cambodia-China Friendship Village for Poverty Alleviation Project in the far-flung Tanorn village of southern Takeo province's Bati district since January 2021.

With funds from the China Foundation for Peace and Development, the project has been transforming the tiny village with a total of 132 households into a model village for poverty alleviation in the Southeast Asian country.

"The Cambodia-China Friendship Village for Poverty Alleviation Project in Tanorn village is a pilot project that shows the generous hearts of Chinese people in helping alleviate poverty in this village," Viseth said.

"This project has contributed to improving the villagers' livelihoods significantly," he added.

Under the project, he said, concrete roads, clean drinking water system, solar power, drainage system in flood prevention, and essential public facilities have been developed.

"Overall, this project has been fully supported by local residents because it has greatly changed the infrastructure landscape in the village, and people are very convenient to travel in and out of the village," he said.

Speaking of China's poverty alleviation experience, Viseth said the experience is very valuable for other developing countries to learn from.

"China's experience in reducing poverty has served as a good example for us, and some experience used in China can be applied in Cambodia, adapting to our local conditions," he said.

Cambodia's poverty rate had declined to 16.6 percent in 2022 from 36.7 percent in 2014, according to a United Nations Development Program report.

The number of poor people was halved from 5.6 million to 2.8 million, the report said, adding that one in five Cambodians moved out of poverty in just 7.5 years.