China names model county for inequality reduction as Xi Jinping accelerates transition to a ‘modern socialist country’
- Jiashan county in the eastern province of Zhejiang has been designated a demonstration zone by Beijing in its drive to reduce inequality
- The plan sheds light on some of the metrics that could be used to measure ‘common prosperity’, such as an acceptable urban-rural income ratio
China has launched a plan to turn a county neighbouring Shanghai into a model for narrowing the country’s yawning wealth gap, shedding light on some of the metrics used to measure progress under “common prosperity”.
After Beijing designated the eastern province of Zhejiang a demonstration zone last year in its drive to reduce inequality and create a more equal society, Jiashan county has been named as a leading trial area for “common prosperity”, according to a guideline published on Tuesday by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country’s top economic planning agency.
The document set a series of specific targets, including for the per capita disposable income ratio between city dwellers and rural residents, and expanding the middle class to 82 per cent of the local population by 2025.
Spending on research and development will also reach 4 per cent of local economic output, the plan showed.
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Authorities hope the guidelines will turn the region of more than 648,000 people into “a model of high-quality, county-level development” by 2035.