In an interview via a video call, SMU Associate Professor of Political Science John Donaldson said that the number of Chinese living in absolute poverty has actually dropped dramatically. While local authorities have begun to quickly develop projects to reduce poverty, many of them have failed because policymakers do not understand the needs of farmers living in remote areas. He stressed that poverty can never be fully eradicated in practice as there are always people living in deplorable conditions in rural and urban areas, both in China and elsewhere.