From Eliminating Absolute Poverty to Alleviating Relative Poverty

In 2020, China will take the lead in eliminating absolute poverty, but it does not mean the end of poverty reduction in China. Poverty will continue to exist in China in the form of relative poverty. Compared with absolute poverty, the relative poverty has a larger population base, more spatial distribution, and more complex causes. Therefore, the policy orientation of alleviating relative poverty should also be adjusted accordingly: the goal of poverty alleviation should be changed from solving the problem of food and clothing to narrowing the income gap. The focus of poverty alleviation should be shifted from reducing the incidence of poverty to establishing a mechanism to prevent poverty return. The focus of poverty alleviation should be shifted from rural areas to both rural and urban areas. And the approach of poverty alleviation should be shifted from solving income poverty to solving multidimensional poverty. At the same time, we also need to further study the long-term mechanism to solve the problem of relative poverty, including: Integrating resources from various parties to establish an overall governance mechanism. Defining relative poverty standards and establishing an accurate identification mechanism. Linking rural revitalization strategies and establishing a mechanism for continuous income increase. Coordinating urban and rural poverty alleviation, and establish a normalized poverty reduction mechanism.