Ningbo – Guizhou Pairing-off Poverty Alleviation

　　【Overview】In 2011, according to the requirements of the central work conference on poverty alleviation and development and the "Outline for Development-oriented Poverty Reduction for China’s Rural Areas (2011-2020)", based on the needs of poverty reduction and leapfrog development of twinned areas, Ningbo City developed the five-year counterpart support plan, strengthened the cooperation and exchange with the twinned regions, stressed the effectiveness and demonstration role of aid projects, attached importance to economic cooperation, and strived to make a good start for the twinning poverty alleviation on the new stage. 2011 is the 15th anniversary of Ningbo’s twinning poverty alleviation with Qiandongnan and Qianxinan Prefecture of Guizhou Province. Leaders of the two sides conducted exchange visits to talk about their friendship and explore approaches to common development, laying a good basis for the pairing-off anti-poverty work on the new stage. According to statistics, in 2011, Ningbo supported the construction of 256 projects with investment of 67.073 million Yuan in Guizhou, of which 129 were government aid projects with investment of 36.163 million Yuan and 172 were social anti-poverty projects with investment of 30.91 million Yuan. As of 2011, Ningbo had implemented more than 3000 aid projects in Qiandongnan and Qianxinan of Guizhou Province and provided relief funds of 752 million Yuan for the province, of which 359 million Yuan was from the governments at all levels and 393 million Yuan was social donations. The projects mainly included new rural construction, development of agricultural industries with local characteristics, intellectual poverty alleviation and public services, etc.

　　【Exchange of visits on poverty alleviation】Qiandongnan Prefecture Party Secretary and Governor Li Feiyue and Qianxinan Prefecture Party Secretary and Governor Long Changchun respectively headed a delegation to visit Ningbo in May and July 2011. During the visits, Ningbo Municipal Party Committee Secretary Wang Wang Huizhong and Mayor Liu Qi met with the delegations, held the forum on pairing-off poverty alleviation and signed the framework agreement on the twinning cooperation during the “12th Five-Year Plan” period. In August, Vice Mayor of Ningbo City Chen Yijun headed a delegation of more than 70 people to visit Qianxinan and Qiandongnan Prefecture of Guizhou, carried out field research on the aid projects implemented in recent years, and signed the agreements on aid projects for the twinned counties in 2011. In December, Chairman of CPPCC Guizhou Province Wang Zhengfu headed a delegation composed of the CPPCC members in Guizhou to carry out field research in Ningbo and held talks on promoting the twinning poverty alleviation work. In order to improve the working ability of the cadres and technicians of the twinned regions, relevant departments at all levels of Ningbo City, the twinned counties (cities) and districts as well as the aiding units increased efforts on exchange visits. According to statistics, throughout the year, Guizhou Province’s relevant departments responsible for the pairing-off poverty alleviation work sent 719 people to carry out field research in Ningbo, and Ningbo City sent 423 people to visit Guizhou, effectively boosting the economic and social development of Qianxinan and Qiandongnan Prefecture of Guizhou Province.

　　【Entire village advancement】In 2011, Ningbo’s aiding units continued to increase efforts on counterpart support for Guizhou, attached more importance to the entire village advancement in new rural construction and played a demonstration and leading role. As for the working methods, the aid projects were constructed with the relief funds and local matching funds or independently with the relief funds of the aiding units. Relevant aiding units integrated the funds for construction and combined infrastructure construction with the support for competitive industries to promote the construction of model villages. In 2011, Ningbo City supported Qiandongnan and Qianxinan Prefecture to newly build and renovate 23 new rural construction demonstration zones with investment of 13.8 million Yuan, and improved the infrastructure of 12 villages. The implementation of these projects greatly improved the production and living conditions of mountainous rural areas, the industrial support promoted the income growth of the farmers and played a demonstration and leading role in the entire village advancement of local new rural construction.

　　【Industrial poverty alleviation】In 2011, Ningbo implemented 12 demonstration base projects for industrial poverty alleviation with a total investment of 10.7 million Yuan, involving tea, blueberry, Camellia, walnuts, kiwi, bayberry and white loquat projects, etc. The bayberry and white loquat industry based on Ningbo’s high-quality varieties became new featured industries of the twinned areas. The two prefectures developed 10,000 mu of bayberry bases, bringing considerable income to farmers; white loquat was also planted in a large area of Qianxinan Prefecture in 2011 based on successful introduction of high-quality seeds. In order to enhance the industrial base management level, Ningbo sent relevant national researchers to give on-site guidance and hold trainings for the people engaged in bayberry and white loquat planting. The industrial support promoted the income growth of farmers and lifted most of the farmers out of poverty.

　　【Poverty relief cadre training】 Personnel and intellectual support has been an important part of Ningbo’s counterpart support for the twinned poor areas. In 2011, Ningbo invested a total of more than 2.6 million Yuan in quality training, helped Guizhou train more than 700 township cadres and technicians through organizing trainings in Ningbo and field trainings, and held practical technical and labor transfer trainings for more than 8000 farmers. In accordance with the arrangements for the implementation of “Headmaster Enhancement Project” between the education departments of Ningbo and Guizhou, in 2011, Ningbo accepted two batches of 50 excellent headmasters from Guizhou to receive a two-month training in the city; cooperated with the Organization Department of Ningbo Municipal Party Committee to send 10 division cadres to serve in Qiandongnan and Qianxinan for half a year, and accepted eight county-level cadres to serve as cadres for practice in the city.

　　【Social Poverty Alleviation】 Driven by Ningbo Municipal Government, all circles of society continued to carry out the anti-poverty work. Taiwan compatriot Mr. Zhu Yinglong, who was born in Ningbo, continued to support the education and subsidize poor students in Guizhou. In 2011, he supported the construction of 82 school projects with donations of 21 million Yuan. So far, he has donated for the construction of 1200 school projects with investment of more than 250 million Yuan. Taiwan compatriot Mr. Xiao Zhiyue, who was born in Ningbo, also supported the counterpart support. He personally donated 1.1 million Yuan for the construction of the teaching buildings of two primary and secondary schools in Qiandongnan Prefecture of Guizhou. Meanwhile, the activity of “Warm Lunch • Ten Thousand People to Subsidize Poor Students" was widely responded. Throughout the year, 3.25 million Yuan was raised to subsidize more than 8400 needy students in the twinned regions and the dining rooms of nine primary schools were set up. The forms of the activities of "volunteer participation" and "volunteer donation" were further enriched. Through organizing fine arts and crafts bazaar, Ningbo Economic and Information Technology Committee established a donation platform for the masters of arts and crafts and caring people in Ningbo and donated more than 400,000 Yuan for Huangping County of Guizhou. According to the statistics, caring people and businesses donated a total of 30.91 million Yuan for the poor areas throughout the year.

　　【Economic and trade cooperation for poverty alleviation】 It is one of the key tasks of Ningbo’s counterpart support work during the “12th Five-Year Plan” period to strengthen the economic exchanges and cooperation with the twinned regions. Based on the needs of the industrial development planning of the twinned regions, in accordance with the actual situation of the industry transfer and business expansion, while actively providing assistance for the twinned regions in inviting merchants and investment, Ningbo initiatively organized relevant enterprises to carry out field research in the twinned regions. In 2011, Ningbo helped Qiandongnan of Guizhou to hold a trade fair and conference on promotion of cultural tourism in Ningbo and organized more than 200 Ningbo’s enterprises to attend the event. At the meeting, 22 project contracts were signed, involving electronics, textiles, real estate and other industries, and the contract value amounted to 6.91 billion Yuan. It also helped Qianxinan Prefecture to convene the signing ceremony on economic and trade cooperation projects in Ningbo. At the meeting, Qianxinan Prefecture signed 24 project contracts with the enterprises in and around Ningbo and the contract value amounted to 7.851 billion Yuan. Meanwhile, Ningbo coordinated a dozen of batches of more than 50 enterprises to invest, carry out field research in and negotiate with Qiandongnan and Qianxinan Prefecture of Guizhou and the projects involved agriculture, electronics, textiles, real estate, etc.

　　【Rain Plan】In 2011, Ningbo City organized a three-month vocational skills qualification training for Qiandongnan and Qianxinan of Guizhou Province, targeting at the students of vocational technical colleges (schools), and a total of 102 people received the training. Making use of the advanced teaching equipment of coastal areas, these trainees obtained vocational technical qualifications widely recognized by enterprises, became more sophisticated in employments and were fully affirmed by the poverty alleviation offices, education bureaus and vocational colleges of Qianxinan and Qiandongnan of Guizhou Province.

　　【Pro-poor planning and measures】In 2011 Ningbo formulated a number of pairing-off poverty alleviation programs, developed the “Work Plan for Ningbo’s Pairing-off Poverty Alleviation and Counterpart Support (2011-2015)”, put forward higher objectives, determined to launch five pilot projects in Guizhou to promote the implementation of the counterpart support plan; formulated the “Assessment Standards for Ningbo’s Pairing-off Poverty Alleviation and Counterpart Support”, included the pairing-off poverty alleviation and counterpart support into the target assessment of county (city) and district government work, signed respectively with Qiandongnan and Qianxinan the framework agreement on the twinning cooperation in the “12th Five-Year Plan” period and further clarified the main contents and objectives of the pairing-off poverty reduction in the next five years.