According to the targeted poverty alleviation symposium held by ICBC in Chengdu, Sichuan Province on April 20, ICBC will donate RMB 20 million to Tongjiang County, Nanjiang County, Wanyuan City and Jinyang County this year, with RMB 5 million for each to carry out targeted poverty alleviation programs. The donation will be increased on yearly basis. In line with the unified national plan for poverty alleviation, ICBC started to help Tongjiang County, Nanjiang County, Chengkou County (after transferred under Chongqing in 1999, it was no longer designated as a place supported by ICBC) and Wanyuan City of Sichuan Province out of poverty in 1995. Over the past 21 years, donations worth RMB 120 million have been made and RMB 8 billion has been granted to the local poverty alleviation programs. ICBC has blazed a new path of poverty alleviation with ICBC characteristics (combining education, health, industry, green, financial and disaster relief alleviation).  ICBC and its Sichuan Branch are awarded the advanced poverty alleviation units by the Poverty Alleviation Office of the State Council. In 2015, ICBC’s alleviation scope in Sichuan was expanded to cover Jinyang County.

Qian Wenhui, Deputy Secretary of Party Committee and Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of ICBC, says at the symposium that, in line with the strategic plan of the central government and the State Council for “targeted poverty alleviation” and poverty alleviation policies of the People’s Bank of China and China Banking Regulatory Commission, the ICBC Party Committee has aimed to help lift all rural poor residents in the designated places out of poverty through donations, personnel assignment, financial service and other methods by 2020.  According to the principles of “accurate supporting targets, project arrangement, fund use, measures based on actual conditions of each household, personnel assignment based on actual conditions of each village and result”, ICBC will further strengthen support, cooperate with local party committees and governments to alleviate poverty as per the “five one batch” classification, give full play to industrial advantages, and arouse the initiative of areas/residents in poverty to improve their capabilities in self-accumulation and self-development, so as to strongly support the impoverished areas to build a moderately prosperous society by 2020.

Relevant head of ICBC said that over the past more than 20 years from 1995 to 2016, ICBC has built up extensive experience in poverty alleviation and made remarkable achievements. First, it has boosted poverty alleviation through finance. It has supported a number of leading enterprises and infrastructure projects (such as Batao highway, Yixu Highway and Liangshan wind power and hydropower projects) in poor areas. Innovative internet platforms are applied to assist local places to register some famous specialty products with high quality as “Bashan Pig”, “Bashibashi” and other brands in a unified way and sell them through ICBC’s e-commerce platform - ICBC Mall, increasing rural households’ incomes.

Second, top priority is given to education during poverty alleviation through development. More than RMB 46 million has been donated to build 16 hope primary schools, dormitory buildings, teaching buildings and 3 plastic-rubber playgrounds of 12 primary and secondary schools and 67 “love kitchens”. The activity entitled “Sailing Project – Funding Excellent College Students in Poverty” has been carried out for 12 consecutive years, helping over 2,100 students get into colleges. The activity entitled “Candlelight Program – Commendation of Outstanding Teachers in Mountain Villages” has been carried for 13 consecutive years, commending 1,610 person-time teachers. The activity entitled “Candlelight Program –Training for Outstanding Teachers in Mountain Villages” has been carried out, in which 500 teachers have received training. The program entitled “New Great Wall – ICBC Self-improvement Class” has been carried out for 7 consecutive years, helping poor students who are just admitted to high schools until they graduate from colleges. Sichuan Branch has carried out the “One-to-one Thousand Student Aid Program ”, mobilizing employees to help 1,373 collage, middle and primary school students from poor families.

Third, emphasis is laid on poverty alleviation through health aids to prevent local residents from falling into poverty. The activity entitled “Love Eternity Bright Action – ICBC Vision Campaign” has helped over 5,800 poor cataract patients in Tongjiang, Nanjiang and Wanyuan regain their vision through operation. The “Infant & Mom Safety 120” program has been carried out for 7 consecutive years, helping 8,580 poor women give birth in hospitals. Donations are made to build 6 health clinics in towns and townships and 8 philanthropic health stations and purchase 4 ambulances, expanding medical assistance scope.

Fourth, the poverty is alleviated through green industries. Nine villages are selected as the “Pilot Village for Green Poverty Alleviation”. Facilities of these villages and households are upgraded, and over 1,000 biogas digesters and 160 tremella production sites are built, forming a cyclic green agricultural economy. ICBC has provides livestock, poultry and training to households in cooperation with Heifer International. Households receiving assistance provide cubs to other households. It has also carried out the “Green Ecological Pig Raising”

Relevant head of ICBC said that through years of efforts, most remaining poor residents currently live in remote places with harsh living environment and scarce natural resources. Their educational background is low and aging is serious. So, it will be more difficult to lift them out of poverty. ICBC will further give stronger support to poor counties/cities, continuously explore innovative measures for alleviation and enhance the capabilities of local residents in self-accumulation and self-development.

First, ICBC will take targeted measures to meet financial demands of poverty alleviation and leverage its advantages in the industry. ICBC will continue to grant more loans and funds to designated places, innovatively design and promote a batch of financial products (such as risk compensation funds for small and micro enterprises and loan to start-ups) with local characteristics to strongly support local small and micro enterprises and individuals. In light of local demands, a “financial consultant for government” team composed of professional personnel will be sent to assist four counties/cities in government planning, investment promotion, industrial development and investment/financing.The targeted poverty alleviation mode featuring “e-commerce + enterprise+ poor household” will be leveraged to continue promoting the launch of ICBC Mall for rural enterprises as well as small and micro enterprises in poor areas, expand sales channels, and lift downstream households out of poverty and cultivate e-commerce personnel through the development of enterprises. On the basis of developing inclusive finance, efforts will be stepped up to increase coverage and utilization rate of “rural POS” and other products, so that peasants can enjoy basic financial services (such as deposit, withdrawal, transfer, remittance and agency fee payment) in their villages.

Second, targeted industrial measures will be taken to alleviate poverty. The industrial poverty alleviation mode characterized by “ICBC + governmental alleviation department +village party branch + leading enterprise + poor household” will be promoted. One key project will be carried out in Tongjiang, Nanjiang, Wanyuan and Jinyang each, including “Ecological Pig” raising project in Tongjiang, “Procapra Przewalskii” raising project in Nanjiang, “Black Chicken” raising project in Wanyuan and specialty planting project in Jinyang. ICBC will provide poor households on file with start-up funds. Leading enterprises are responsible for technical guidance, epidemic prevention and treatment, and complete repurchase. Local governments, cadres in charge of alleviation and village secretaries are responsible for supervision and management.

Third, targeted education and health measures will be taken to alleviate poverty. ICBC will continue to carry out the program entitled “Sailing Project – Funding Excellent College Students in Poverty”, in which RMB4 million will be used to fully fund students from poor families on file. It will continue to carry out the activities entitled “Candlelight Program – Commendation of Outstanding Teachers in Mountain Villages” and “Candlelight Program – Training for Outstanding Teachers in Mountain Villages”, so as to encourage them to engage in rural education undertakings securely. Care will be given to left-behind children from poor families on file, to whom over 5,600 multi-functional protective schoolbags are donated to reduce accidents. It will continue to carry out the “Infant & Mom Safety 120” program to help poor women on file give birth in hospitals, so as to create sound medical conditions for women and newborns. From this year, ICBC will implement recruitment policies supporting poor college graduates or those from national-level impoverished counties. Posts will be provided to poor college graduates in the spring campus recruitment. 

Fourth, the role of officials will better play out in poverty alleviation. The Head Office of ICBC will send four officials to assist four counties/cities respectively. Sichuan Branch will send four officials to act as village secretaries to implement poverty alleviation measures issued by the Head Office and play a role of bridge between stakeholders.