Energy giant helps minorities shake off poverty through innovation

Turning barren lands to vibrant fields of safflower, an industrial park in a county, in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is a key pillar of measures China National Petroleum Corporation is taking to help minorities escape poverty, a company leader said in a Wednesday interview in Beijing during a forum on State-owned enterprises' poverty alleviation.

"I visited Qapqal county in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region last month. We helped them build a safflower industrial park. This can not only turn barren land to safflower, which can be refined into oils, but also unify poverty-stricken peasants through cooperatives to permanently solve problems by sharing dividends with cooperative members," said Wang Yilin, chairman of CNPC, at the forum organized by State-owned Assests Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.

Helping poverty-stricken areas to develop innovative industries is not only the social responsibility of CNPC, an important State-owned enterprise, but it also provides a pathway for local people to generate income and pursue a better life in the long run, Wang said.

The villagers, who are from the Xibe and Uygur ethnic groups, have joined the safflower cooperative and showed great enthusiasm in supporting this industry. As a health care product, safflower oil has a huge market demand, so the company has an expansion plan to ensure poverty relief work is sustainable.

"I listened to investors' reports at the industrial park. They plan to promote products in the international market while expanding the domestic market (in order to) eliminate poverty completely in poverty-stricken villages at Qapqal county," Wang said.

The energy giant has also helped poverty-stricken minority areas develop tourism by building roads and establishing scenic spots in Northwest China's Qinghai province, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region.

"This can not only help people living a life in poverty improve living conditions and provide convenience to travel enthusiasts, but has also laid a sound foundation for unification and win-win cooperation among people from different ethnic groups," Wang said.

Since China's reform and opening-up 40 years ago, CNPC has made great achievements through systematic and institutional innovation. During the process, the company has expanded its social responsibilities since helping five counties in Xinjiang autonomous region in 1994, cumulatively investing 890 million yuan ($128.30 million) to assist in over 850 projects in 16 districts and regions covering 7 provinces in China.

Pursuing profit is the ultimate goal of a company, but it is not the only goal, and the company has been playing an active role in taking on social responsibilities. In addition to promoting industrial development, CNPC has developed training programs to help people living in less developed areas. They also helped people have the courage and determination to get rid of poverty in the long run rather than improve living conditions for only a short period of time, Wang said.

CNPC, the world's third-largest oil company, has helped five counties in getting removed from the list of poverty-stricken areas, while three counties have completed evaluations and checks.

In 2017, the country's State-owned enterprises invested 1.93 billion yuan in 246 targeted poverty alleviation counties and purchased 230 million yuan in local agricultural products.

To eradicate poverty and completely resolve the poverty issue in China is the bottom-line task for building a moderately prosperous society in all aspects, and the State-owned enterprises are an important force to shoulder these social responsibilities, said Xu Fushun, deputy director of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

China set a target of eradicating poverty in rural areas and eliminating regional poverty by 2020, and has helped over 13 million shake off poverty on a yearly basis. The country will reduce the poor population by 30 million over the next three years.