Full coverage: 95 years of glory

Poverty is a worldwide concern. China is at stake in resolving such an issue. In the sixth episode of our special series "95th Anniversary of the CPC: Serving the People", we tell you what can we expect from China's leadership on closing the wealth gap?

"It's an ambitious goal, but we shouldn’t set small goals. We should set big goals especially if you’re a country as big and powerful and inclusive as China. I’m at the OECD, I’m in charge of our role in helping to implement the sustainable development goals established last September by the United Nations. And one of those goals, the ultimate goal there really is to lift 800 million people worldwide out of extreme poverty. And that is again an ambitious goal like the goal here in China of the Five-year Plan to do it in a short period to get 70 million people out," said Douglas Frantz, deputy secretary-general, general secretariat, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

"China has lifted 728 million people out of poverty by international standards. The whole of the rest of the world has only lifted 152 million, right? Therefore, the contribution to human well-being made by Deng Xiaoping is unequalled in my opinion. I was really deeply moved, you may even hear my voice slightly waiver, because the first time I went to Shanghai and I saw the great big portrait of Deng Xiaoping in the municipal hall there. And I was so moved, because I knew he’s been there, because I knew what a great theorist leader of China he was, but what an enormous contribution he made to human well-being," said John Ross, well-known columnist in UK, former deputy mayor of London.

"The fact is that China has done a better job of that than any country in the history of the world. Now everybody in China has a smart phone I thinks, or two, or three. Everybody is on wechat. Actually it’s exciting, because when I came in 1985, it was still very much, almost no cars, everyone wore Mao suits, the same, all the bicycles were black, I don’t know how people could figure out which bicycle was their bicycle, because they all look the same. Now, individual spirit is alive and I’ve seen the changes both as a frequent visitor but also by many friends in China, I’ve seen how their lives got improved. I talk a lot to foreign audiences about what’s happening in China, not only has China done a really amazing job of lifting people out of poverty, but China still faces one of the biggest challenges in history with 20 million people every year moving to the cities," said Dennis Bracy, CEO, Association of US-China Exchange, Washington.