China has honored its commitments to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by dramatically reducing the number of Chinese living in poverty and by providing assistance to least developed countries, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Thursday.

China, the most populous country in the world, has accelerated development mainly through its own efforts and through reform and opening-up since 1978, Wen said in his speech at the United Nations high-level event on MDGs.

"As a result, China has brought down the number of people in absolute poverty from 250 million to 15 million in less than 30 years," he said.

During the past three decades, China has made free nine-year education compulsory throughout the country, especially in rural areas. It has launched a new type of cooperative medical care system, mainly financed by the government, for the country's 800 million farmers. China has also set up a system of village and community self-governance for rural and urban residents, and introduced government transparency, democratic oversight and direct elections at the community level, Wen pointed out.

The vision set out in the UN Millennium Declaration is being gradually turned into reality in China, the premier said.

Though not rich, China has honored its commitments to the Millennium Declaration and done what it can to help some least developed countries, he added.

By the end of June 2008, China had written off 24.7 billion yuan (US$3.63 billion) in debts owed by 49 heavily indebted poor countries and least developed countries in Asia and Africa.

It has also provided 206.5 billion yuan (US$30.37 billion) in various forms of assistance to such countries, of which 90.8 billion yuan (US$13.35 billion) is free aid, Wen said.

China provides zero-tariff treatment to the goods of 42 least developed countries, he said. It has also trained 15,000 African medical professionals, sent medical teams and provided free medicines to Africa, added Wen.

"Statistics released by the World Bank last year showed that over the past 25 years, China accounted for 67 percent of the achievements in global poverty reduction," the Chinese premier said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2008)