Liu Guoyue Attends Central SOEs Poverty Alleviation Forum

Central SOEs Poverty Alleviation Forum, sponsored by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of the State Council, kicked off in Beijing on October 16, under the theme of “consolidating the achievements in poverty alleviation and continuing rural vitalization.” Hao Peng, chairman of SASAC, attended the forum and delivered a speech. Ren Hongbin, vice chairman of SASAC, gave an overall introduction of the achievements made by centrally administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the poverty alleviation campaign. Hong Tianyun, deputy head of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, addressed the event. In addition, Liu Guoyue, CEO of China Energy Investment Corporation, attended the forum and made a speech.

In his speech, Liu introduced the progress and results achieved by China Energy in poverty alleviation. He pointed out that China Energy has spared no efforts to help nine poverty-stricken counties through paired assistance as well as more than 200 counties, townships and villages around the country. With the help of the corporation, nine counties including Youyu of Shanxi Province, Ningcheng of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Nyainrong of Tibet Autonomous Region, Mizhi and Wubao of Shaanxi Province, and Gangcha and Qumarleb of Qinghai Province have been lifted out of poverty. Moreover, Butuo and Puge counties in Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, are conducting self-examination and final inspection before they are removed from the list of poor counties.

Liu noted that as a central SOE, China Energy plays the role of a national team and main force in the poverty alleviation campaign. Despite difficulties and challenges, it upholds the strategy of targeted poverty alleviation and promotes poverty reduction through industrial development according to the local conditions of poor areas. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, China Energy has invested 1.16 billion yuan to help the nine poverty-stricken counties. Moreover, it has sent 55 young capable employees to form poverty alleviation task forces at county, township and village levels in the two counties in Liangshan. Among them, many have stood out as role models, such as the “Five-heart Secretary” and “Strawberry Secretary.” It invested a total of 53.5 million yuan to establish an ecological conservation fund to support the ecological restoration at the source area of the Yellow River in Qumarleb County, Qinghai Province. Moreover, it conducts vegetation restoration and protection in the eco-friendly preserved area that covers more than 17,000 hectares in Youyu County, Shanxi Province, and has built an ecological forest of more than 130 hectares, achieving remarkable results in terms of poverty alleviation through ecological progress. China Energy has invested more than 400 million yuan to build 144 primary and middle schools and kindergartens in those poor counties, benefiting 10.9 million students and local people. It has substantively improved the living standards of local poor people through measures such as promoting relocation programs, building roads and bridges and facilitating access to safe drinking water in rural areas. Based on local conditions, China Energy has helped lift poor counties from poverty through industrial development. For instance, it has helped Ningcheng build a vegetable and fruit greenhouse park, assisted Wubao in consolidating its brand “No.1 Noodles under Heaven” and helped Puge develop its strawberry planting industry. Moreover, it has accumulatively purchased more than 180 million yuan worth of agricultural products from those poverty-stricken counties, strengthening their capacity to realize self-development.

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences unveiled 53 “Best Practice Cases of Central SOEs’ Efforts in Poverty Alleviation” at the forum, including the “Poverty Alleviation through Developing Education and Enhancing Medical Care” in Butuo County and the “Poverty Reduction through Targeted Relief” in Ningcheng County conducted by China Energy.