Kuhn, a winner of the China Reform Friendship Medal, said he has told Chinese stories for more than three decades and has shared his observations about China's anti-poverty endeavors.

"China's poverty alleviation is the best story to undermine biases and disrupt stereotypes about China," he said.

Kuhn said that China's success in bringing the COVID-19 outbreak under control and ending extreme poverty was based on three principles — CPC leadership, General Secretary Xi Jinping's commitment, and CPC mobilization.

"Just as future historians may well look upon China's fight against the coronavirus as a turning point in worldwide efforts to contain outbreaks of novel diseases, future historians may well recognize China's fight against poverty as a turning point in worldwide efforts to eradicate extreme poverty," he noted.

Wang Xingzui of the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, a humanitarian relief and development organization, talked about its efforts to fulfill six of the goals set by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — no poverty, no hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, clean water and sanitation, and decent work and economic growth.

He shared stories about the beneficiaries of its signature overseas programs — including the Smiling Children School Feeding Program, the Panda Pack Project and the Youth Vocational Training Program — and said China is actively fulfilling its "due international responsibility".

The programs collectively have benefited more than 1.3 million people in 24 countries and have increased people-to-people connectivity, he said.

Wang said the foundation will continue implementing domestic development programs with nongovernmental resources to consolidate poverty reduction achievements and facilitate the national rural vitalization strategy.

David Monyae from the Centre for Africa-China Studies spoke highly of China's development achievements, saying it has emerged as one of the most critical players in the international arena.

He said the China-Africa relationship has strengthened under Xi's leadership as China has designated ties with the continent to be of great importance. China ranks highly among Africa's trade and investment partners.

"Africa has so much to learn from China on how to uplift the majority of Africans from poverty," he said.

He said China's zero-poverty announcement coincides with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC.

"The CPC has taken another Long March, this one toward prosperity and global acclaim."

Monyae noted that going from a poor country to its current status as the second-largest global economy, China's achievements merit respect.

"The CPC has blazed a trail that no other nation has. Of most importance, its achievements inspire hope in the developing world," he said.