23 May, 2014 --- The closing ceremony of the “Seminar on Integrated Rural and Urban Development and Poverty Reduction for Asian Countries”, sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of the P.R.C and organized by the IPRCC, took place at the Beijing Fraternal Cooperation International Hotel. A total of 22 representatives working in the area of poverty reduction and development from 8 countries including Yemen, Maldives, Pakistan, Palestine, Cambodia, Myanmar, East Timor and Kyrgyzstan attended the 15-day event. Aisha Muhammad Abdullah Aisha, an official with the Ministry of Finance of Yemen and IPRCC Assistant Director General Wang Shu respectively addressed the closing ceremony.

Themed on “Integrated Rural and Urban Development and Poverty Reduction”, the 15-day seminar consisted of three parts: thematic lectures, country-specific presentations and field trips. There were eight thematic lectures in total, covering overview of China’s national conditions, the formation and development of China’s urban-rural dual economic structure, China’s strategy for integrated rural and urban development and sustainable rural poverty reduction, the reconstruction of China’s rural public finance system and poverty reduction, the construction of China’s rural market system and integrated rural and urban development, the development of China’s rural social undertakings and integrated rural and urban development and the reconstruction of China’s rural financial system and integrated rural and urban development. In the session of country-specific presentations, the participating country representatives were invited to introduce their own progress and experience in integrated rural and urban development and poverty reduction. Two field trips were made to Shanxi Province and Beijing. In Shanxi Province, the participants inspected the Poverty Alleviation and Development Project of Yunqiu Mountain Tourism Industry in Xiangning County, Shanxi Chateau Rongzi Co., Ltd., the Organic Apple Production Base in Dongcheng Township of Jixian County, Jixian County Vocational Middle School, Dingji Food Development Co., Ltd. in Jixian County, the Honorable Court of Da’ning County, the Relocation-based Poverty Reduction Project in Xinshui Town, the New Countryside Construction in Sangzi Village, Wucheng Town of Xixian County, the Model Village of New Countryside Construction in Doupo Village, Doupo Township and Luheng Organic Pear Production Base of Xixian County, Organic Potato Planting Base of Puxian County, Yaowangtai Modern Agriculture Demonstration Park of Yaodu District. In Beijing, the participants inspected the Dongsi Olympic Community Sports & Culture Center in Dongcheng District, watched some sports and cultural activities carried out by community residents and visited places for public benefit activities, such as Qiaoniang Studio, Movie Projection Room, Warm home, Community Mental Health Service Station, Early Education Guidance Center, and Olympic Community Exhibition Hall to personally experience the development of community sports and cultural undertakings and the promotion of the positive Olympic spirit by urban community residents.

This seminar advanced the policy sharing and experience exchanging between China and other Asian developing countries in the field of poverty reduction and development, analyzed their problems and challenges in achieving integrated rural and urban development and poverty reduction, and fostered their exchanges and cooperation in poverty reduction.