This paper was originally commissioned by the United Nations Development Program as a complement to China：Overcoming Rural Poverty-a report issued by the World Bank based on a tripartite study undertaken in October and November 1998 by the government's Leading Group for Poverty Reduction（LGPR），the World Bank and UNDP. An earlier and shorter version appeared in that study as an Annex，entitled "Policies for Poverty Reduction in China." This UNDP report also benefited from collaboration between UNDP and the International Labor Organization（ILO）. It expands on specific topics considered by UNDP to deserve greater consideration in the development of China's future poverty reduction strategy. Where there is general agreement with the World Bank report，the data and findings are not repeated here，but reference is made to that report where appropriate.

Written by consultants and staff from UNDP and ILO，this report draws extensively on a special contribution from professors Keith Griffin and Azizur Rahman Khan. Additional sections were written，and revisions made，by Terry McKinley，Hu Angang，and staff members of UNDP Beijing and ILO Geneva. The report was revised and redrafted by Sarah Cook，and revised again，considerably expanded and updated by Carl Riskin.

While this report responds to major issues and concerns raised by UNDP，the analyses and conclusions presented in the report are those of the authors，and do not necessarily reflect the views of UNDP.