China, world's largest developing country, still faces imbalances in its rural and urban development, regional growth and economic and social development, despite remarkable achievement in poverty reduction, visiting senior Chinese legislator Zha Peixin said in Cape Town on Tuesday.

"The road of development is not easy and even bumpy. China's per capita GDP just reached US$2,000; 21.48 million rural population are still in want of food and clothes; incomes of 35.5 million rural residents remain meager; 22 million urban residents are yet to reach a living standard secured by the basic living allowance," said Zha, head of the Chinese parliamentarian delegation at the 118th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union being held here.

He said the Chinese government will work even harder, put people first, pay greater attention to and give more support for population of poverty and encourage and guide all social sectors to participate in poverty alleviation development.

He said China is a dynamic actor in the global poverty reduction endeavor, having conducted effective cooperation with various countries and international organizations in poverty reduction.

China hosted the Conference on Scaling up Poverty Reduction in 2004. At the meeting, China announced US$20 million donation to the Asian Development Bank for the establishment of the Regional Cooperation and Poverty Reduction Fund .

In 2005, the International Poverty Reduction Center in China was established in Beijing, opening up a new platform for international cooperation in poverty reduction.

During the UN summit on the occasion of its 60th anniversary in September 2005, Chinese President Hu Jintao announced five measures of assistance for other developing countries, including zero-tariff treatment and debt relief and cancellation.

"As the Chinese economy grows, China will continue to take an active part in international cooperation for poverty reduction in the principle of equality, mutual benefit and common development and make unremitting efforts for the progress of global poverty reduction efforts," Zha said.

Zha said that the parliaments have an important role to play in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, adopted at a UN summit in 2000, include cutting extreme poverty by half by 2015.

"They should fully exercise the power of legislation and oversight and provide legal guarantee for national poverty reduction efforts," he said. "The National People's Congress of China stands ready to work more closely with parliaments of other countries for the success of the great cause of poverty reduction of the humankind."

(Xinhua News Agency April 16, 2008)