https://www.scmp.com/rss/503326/feed In 2015, China’s President Xi Jinping set a deadline of 2020 to eradicate poverty in China, with 850 million Chinese taken out of extreme poverty in the past 40 years. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Alcott Wei Alcott Wei Before autonomous driving freed up the hands of Beijing’s middle class, thousands of workers some 1,500km (930 miles) away in China’s southwestern Guizhou province clicked away at computer screens to teach AI about navigating traffic. In the mountainous city of Tongren, where incomes are less than half those in Beijing, the work of data labelling – marking residential buildings, pavements, roadways and traffic lights – shaped the artificial intelligence guiding those vehicles. The job required... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3349038/what-next-struggling-rural-mothers-china-who-helped-build-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3349038/what-next-struggling-rural-mothers-china-who-helped-build-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 22:00:21 +0000 SCMP SCMP This article was first published on February 26, 2021. By Mimi Lau Xi claims victory in eliminating extreme poverty China has declared com­plete suc­cess in elim­in­at­ing extreme poverty, with Pres­id­ent Xi Jin­ping hail­ing the lift­ing of 850 mil­lion people out of des­ti­tu­tion as an “unpre­ced­en­ted accom­plish­ment” unmatched by any nation in mod­ern his­tory. In a speech at a cere­mony in Beijing yes­ter­day (February 25, 2021) to com­mend poverty fight­ers, broad­cast live by state... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344424/chinas-xi-jinping-declares-defeat-extreme-poverty-2021-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344424/chinas-xi-jinping-declares-defeat-extreme-poverty-2021-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 05:45:07 +0000 Jane Cai Jane Cai A series of social media posts highlighting the economic insecurity facing ordinary Americans has triggered an intense debate in China about social problems in the United States and shattered some long-held perceptions. Many of the posts from influencers described the vulnerabilities as a “kill line”, a term used by Chinese video gamers to describe the health threshold below which a character can be instantly defeated. The term has now been repurposed to describe a financial and social tipping... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3338633/us-kill-line-shocks-chinese-social-media-economic-woes-shatter-illusions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3338633/us-kill-line-shocks-chinese-social-media-economic-woes-shatter-illusions?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 12:00:11 +0000 Beijing has further tightened its management of rural government workers with revised anti-corruption supervision rules for grass-roots officials. The changes mean that after more than a decade of anti-corruption campaigns, China’s system for supervising rural officials has finally been defined, according to one scholar. The revised Regulations on the Honest Performance of Duties by Rural Grass-roots Officials came into force on March 28, state news agency Xinhua reported last week. The document... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3308082/china-extends-anti-corruption-rules-village-chiefs-and-other-grass-roots-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3308082/china-extends-anti-corruption-rules-village-chiefs-and-other-grass-roots-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Apr 2025 10:00:12 +0000 This week, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech in Brazil titled “Building a just world of common development”, at the G20 summit’s first session on the global fight against hunger and poverty. He spoke of China’s poverty elimination campaign and its commitment to bringing common development and prosperity to the world. “Common” is a keyword in China’s policies. “Common prosperity” and “common development” might sound like communist slogans, but in China, they are rallying cries for... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3287287/world-crisis-needs-more-leaders-embrace-chinas-big-family-vision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3287287/world-crisis-needs-more-leaders-embrace-chinas-big-family-vision?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Nov 2024 01:30:08 +0000 In Zhongwei, a city in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region, fighting poverty seems to be a never-ending battle. While the country as a whole has made tremendous gains in living standards, in July, the city’s Shapotou district announced that 28 more individuals had been added to a poverty relapse watch list. The officials who update the list maintain dossiers on families that are in dire financial straits and aim to stop them falling below the poverty line, while also ensuring that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3281078/its-really-exhausting-are-chinas-lauded-anti-poverty-triumphs-risk-vanishing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3281078/its-really-exhausting-are-chinas-lauded-anti-poverty-triumphs-risk-vanishing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Oct 2024 22:00:14 +0000 Oxfam’s core mission globally is to combat poverty and social injustice and address the root causes of inequality. The organisation operates through various programmes dedicated to economic justice, gender equality, climate action and humanitarian response, all aimed at fostering a world where everyone can thrive and live with dignity. As a former vice-chairman of Oxfam Hong Kong, I have always been inspired by the organisation’s core values and significant contributions to social justice.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3277189/why-china-taking-wealth-redistribution-seriously?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3277189/why-china-taking-wealth-redistribution-seriously?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Sep 2024 01:30:07 +0000 This week marks the 120th birthday of Deng Xiaoping, architect of China’s reform and opening up. It is also a major milestone in commemorating his contributions to China’s rejuvenation. China’s transformation over the last four decades since its reform and opening up in the late 1970s is a highly unusual phenomenon. China’s gross domestic product grew from US$150 billion in 1978 to about US$17.8 trillion by 2023, making it the world’s second largest economy. Per capita GDP jumped from US$157 in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3275315/seeds-deng-xiaopings-legacy-have-yielded-remarkable-progress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3275315/seeds-deng-xiaopings-legacy-have-yielded-remarkable-progress?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Aug 2024 08:30:11 +0000 As China commemorates the 120th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping’s birth, the Post examines his legacy across generations. In the first of a three-part series, we look at Deng’s continuing resonance with the ruling Communist Party’s leadership. Chairman Mao Zedong called him the “steel factory” for his uncompromising resolve. Yet he was also a master of charm – winning the hearts and minds of the American public in one swoop by donning a cowboy hat on the first visit by a Chinese communist leader to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3275339/china-celebrates-deng-xiaopings-legacy-country-again-crossroads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3275339/china-celebrates-deng-xiaopings-legacy-country-again-crossroads?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Aug 2024 22:00:19 +0000 Western media analysts often fail to grasp the significance of the reforms initiated at the third plenum of the Communist Party of China, which recently concluded in Beijing. The Communist Party typically holds seven plenary sessions during each five-year term of its Central Committee, and the third is particularly important as major policy directions and reforms are often introduced. The 1978 third plenum marked the beginning of China’s reform and opening up, a policy introduced by Deng... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3273373/what-china-watchers-should-know-about-where-country-headed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3273373/what-china-watchers-should-know-about-where-country-headed?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Aug 2024 08:45:08 +0000 That US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have little in common seems obvious. After all, Biden has characterised their ideological differences as a battle between democracy and autocracy. And their meetings seem to have fostered no rapport. Yet with “Bidenomics” and Xi’s common prosperity goal, both leaders share strikingly similar beliefs in seeking to transform their economies. But because their economies are trade-linked and seek technological advancement, conflict is... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3259057/us-china-trade-rivalry-boils-down-competition-jobs-and-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3259057/us-china-trade-rivalry-boils-down-competition-jobs-and-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Apr 2024 01:15:16 +0000 Last month, Panzhihua, a city in western China’s Sichuan province, announced this would be its “breakthrough” year in establishing itself as a common prosperity pilot zone. It is following the example of Zhejiang province in the east, another such pilot zone which was set up in 2021. The idea is to push for a high-quality development that focuses on closing the economic gap between regions, between urban and rural areas, and in income. This is encouraging news, but will such efforts work? Will... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3253341/why-fixing-inequality-central-chinas-common-prosperity-goal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3253341/why-fixing-inequality-central-chinas-common-prosperity-goal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Mar 2024 01:30:11 +0000 Fighting corruption related to the Belt and Road Initiative and China’s rural revitalisation strategy will be among the priorities for the country’s top graft buster this year. That is according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection’s work report for 2024, which was released in full by state news agency Xinhua on Sunday – two months after it was delivered by CCDI chief Li Xi during a plenary session. The report said the CCDI would this year coordinate crackdowns both at home and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3253236/chinas-top-corruption-watchdog-puts-belt-and-road-projects-rural-strategy-cross-hairs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3253236/chinas-top-corruption-watchdog-puts-belt-and-road-projects-rural-strategy-cross-hairs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Feb 2024 09:00:28 +0000 Much has been said about how China and India are jostling for leadership of the Global South. This is bunkum. China harbours no intention of becoming the Global South leader, and India is unlikely to become one even if it wants to. China describes itself only as “a natural member of the Global South”, in line with what it calls itself: a developing country. But while India has not yet declared itself the leader of the Global South, its ambition is hardly veiled. Last year, with New Delhi hosting... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3250458/china-and-india-should-be-global-south-anchors-not-power-competitors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3250458/china-and-india-should-be-global-south-anchors-not-power-competitors?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Feb 2024 01:30:11 +0000 Growth and stability were the two big themes of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s New Year’s address to the country on Sunday night, as he put the focus firmly on future progress. Flanked by photos of his family and images from his tours around the country, Xi called for continued efforts towards modernisation and pledged further reform and opening up. “We must persist in seeking progress while maintaining stability, promoting stability through advancement,” he said. But new industries had to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3246822/chinese-president-xi-jinping-pledges-reform-future-focused-new-years-address?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3246822/chinese-president-xi-jinping-pledges-reform-future-focused-new-years-address?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Dec 2023 14:00:27 +0000 What can Hong Kong do to get its mojo back? That is the question on everyone’s lips, particularly as the city’s international comeback has so far fallen short of the assertion that Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu made late last year when the city was close to reopening – “Hong Kong always bounces back, better than ever”. It is true that the subsequent blitz to woo tourists and business talent has worked to some extent. Visitor arrivals in August reached 4.1 million, or 84 per cent of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3236284/hong-kongs-shoebox-housing-are-disgrace-john-lee-must-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3236284/hong-kongs-shoebox-housing-are-disgrace-john-lee-must-end?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Oct 2023 21:30:18 +0000 In Hong Kong, the number of poor people and the size of the poverty gap seem to have worsened in recent years. As the city grapples with the challenge of poverty, perhaps we can learn from Guizhou, a previously impoverished province that has transformed itself into a region of hope and confidence. It boils down to making use of the area’s unique characteristics, building up inclusive economies and making the government more efficient and effective in responding to residents’ daily needs. During... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3230296/guizhou-offers-hong-kong-lessons-building-bridges-and-tackling-poverty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3230296/guizhou-offers-hong-kong-lessons-building-bridges-and-tackling-poverty?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Aug 2023 00:15:08 +0000 China needs to upgrade its education system to support the country’s drive for technological self-reliance, as well as attract more international students. President Xi Jinping delivered the assessment at a study session of the Politburo, the Communist Party’s top decision-making body, according to state news agency Xinhua. The party made nurturing science and technology talent a major policy at its national congress in October, vowing to break bottlenecks in tech development, particularly in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3222285/xi-jinping-says-education-key-building-modern-hi-tech-china-he-directs-politburo-speed-progress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3222285/xi-jinping-says-education-key-building-modern-hi-tech-china-he-directs-politburo-speed-progress?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 May 2023 06:59:30 +0000 The Chinese government is redoubling efforts to help rural people moving to cities tap into welfare services as it presses on with a poverty alleviation drive and tries to shore up economic growth against demographic headwinds. In a notice on Saturday, 19 government departments, including the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the Ministry of Finance and the People’s Bank of China, pledged to improve conditions in resettlement areas, create job opportunities and give more people... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3208360/china-expand-rural-access-urban-welfare-benefits-push-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3208360/china-expand-rural-access-urban-welfare-benefits-push-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jan 2023 22:00:18 +0000 The Chinese government has said it has averted a large-scale return to poverty after a difficult year riddled with coronavirus outbreaks and economic challenges, but according to experts the declining income of poor workers remains the real issue at hand. On Sunday, the National Rural Revitalization Administration (NRRA) acknowledged there had been challenges this year in some regions of China, especially among highly vulnerable migrant workers. “Due to the impact of coronavirus and natural... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3204608/coronavirus-and-natural-disasters-not-enough-derail-chinas-anti-poverty-efforts-beijing-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3204608/coronavirus-and-natural-disasters-not-enough-derail-chinas-anti-poverty-efforts-beijing-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Dec 2022 13:00:14 +0000 Amid a cacophony of concerns that Beijing’s pursuit of a bigger state role could put China on a path toward a new planned-economy era, a normally quiet former politician has joined the chorus calling for private players and market forces to advance national development strategies. The most recent scrutiny came as authorities released policies to boost support for community-level “cooperatives” and state-run food kitchens, which were widely utilised in China four decades ago. The policies have... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3199717/chinas-rural-supply-cooperatives-should-involve-government-backed-private-firms-former-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3199717/chinas-rural-supply-cooperatives-should-involve-government-backed-private-firms-former-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:22 +0000 China’s Communist Party has cemented “security” and “common prosperity” as high priorities on its economic agenda by adding the “dual circulation” strategy and pursuit of “high-quality development” to the party constitution. The revisions came amid fierce debate about whether Beijing is leaning towards a more inward course and prepared to sacrifice some growth to counteract widening socioeconomic inequality as structural problems mount at home and headwinds gain strength abroad. In a resolution... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196908/chinas-communist-party-cements-common-prosperity-core-economic-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196908/chinas-communist-party-cements-common-prosperity-core-economic-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Oct 2022 23:00:16 +0000 “The more vague it is, the more afraid everyone is.” A renewed push to regulate wealth accumulation has triggered fresh worries among wealthy and upper middle-class families in China. First mentioned last year as part of a plan to address inequality, President Xi Jinping laid out more practical implications of so-called common prosperity in Sunday’s work report to the 20th party congress. Xi outlined how a personal income tax system will be improved, while highlighting how China will keep... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196774/why-has-vague-brief-mention-new-common-prosperity-push-got-nerves-chinas-rich?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3196774/why-has-vague-brief-mention-new-common-prosperity-push-got-nerves-chinas-rich?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Oct 2022 03:00:11 +0000 China is expected to increase its push for shared wealth as a key “strategic goal” during next month’s 20th party congress, a senior party ideologist said, amid growing anxiety over Beijing’s policies to tackle inequality. Beijing’s top leadership will deliver a clearer and more detailed road map on the push for so-called common prosperity when the five-yearly party congress begins on October 16, said Han Baojiang, professor and director of the economics department at the Central Party School of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3194244/chinas-common-prosperity-drive-shared-wealth-get-fresh-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3194244/chinas-common-prosperity-drive-shared-wealth-get-fresh-push?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Sep 2022 16:00:14 +0000 As harvest season approached at the end of August, Zhou Peifang – not her real name – grew increasingly desperate. Zhou, 42, is a single mother of two whose household includes her elderly parents, who are farmers in the mountainous area of Bazhong in China’s Sichuan province. A severe drought has killed almost any hope of a good harvest – whether it is rice, corn, sweet potato or soybean. “It’s not only a problem of future income. I’m worried about tomorrow. We’re also running out of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3192345/poverty-threat-unlikely-derail-chinas-push-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3192345/poverty-threat-unlikely-derail-chinas-push-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Sep 2022 15:00:08 +0000 Xi Jinping has reshaped China’s major economic decision-making institutions – most notably the Central Economic and Financial Affairs Commission – since becoming president. Helped by Vice-Premier and chief economic adviser Liu He, Xi’s first term between 2013-18 was devoted to addressing domestic problems. These included high debt, a dwindling demographic dividend, industrial overcapacity and poverty, with structural adjustments and de-risking campaigns high on the agenda. Xi hardened his... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3190157/china-economy-7-xiconomic-policies-have-guided-growth-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3190157/china-economy-7-xiconomic-policies-have-guided-growth-over?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Aug 2022 12:45:24 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping chose the northeastern rust belt province of Liaoning as his first field trip after the summer break, vowing to build the country’s modernisation on the principle of common prosperity. The trip signals the end of the summer break when top state leaders retreat to the beach town of Beidaihe. In the past, the annual holiday has been known as a chance for the political elite to meet in an informal setting, forging alliances, strategising political moves and building... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3189238/xi-jinping-heads-chinas-rust-belt-renewed-push-common?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3189238/xi-jinping-heads-chinas-rust-belt-renewed-push-common?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Aug 2022 13:00:18 +0000 Human rights are a universal value, yet they can be the most vexed issue in practice. The most recent example is the debate stirred up by the first trip to China by a United Nations human rights chief since 2005. International observers focused on Michelle Bachelet’s visit to Urumqi and Kashgar in Xinjiang province, where the authorities have been accused of forced sterilisation and mass internment of Uygurs and other Muslim minorities. Beijing said the trip “achieved positive and practical... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3179781/human-rights-are-not-just-china-concern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3179781/human-rights-are-not-just-china-concern?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 May 2022 19:44:15 +0000 According to the Hong Kong government, more than 1 million residents have been lifted out of poverty by its relief measures. But how poverty is defined has long been a point of contention. The latest annual Poverty Situation Report found that government intervention brought the 23.6 per cent poverty rate (or 1.65 million people) down by 15.7 percentage points. This is encouraging, but let’s not celebrate; there are still many living in poverty among us. In a city as affluent as Hong Kong, it is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3179273/tackle-poverty-hong-kong-government-must-learn-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3179273/tackle-poverty-hong-kong-government-must-learn-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 May 2022 04:30:23 +0000 Reversing the trend of a slowing economy is the biggest challenge facing China’s leadership this year, especially with the Communist Party’s national congress only months away, according to former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd. His recent assessment was further underscored on Monday when the latest official data showed that China’s economy shrank dramatically in April. “In 2022, the biggest elephant in the room on this score remains the [Chinese] economy,” said Rudd, who is now president... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3177944/chinas-slowing-economy-biggest-elephant-room-kevin-rudd-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3177944/chinas-slowing-economy-biggest-elephant-room-kevin-rudd-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 May 2022 14:15:12 +0000 Authorities in China’s northeast provinces have issued guidelines to protect their low-income populations – including farmers and small-business owners – from falling back into poverty, as the latest coronavirus outbreaks put the livelihoods of people in financially vulnerable regions at considerable risk. Liaoning province and neighbouring Jilin province, the epicentre of the country’s latest Omicron wave, vowed assistance on Wednesday to those teetering on the brink of poverty. This highlights... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3173471/chinas-lockdowns-put-working-class-poor-provinces-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3173471/chinas-lockdowns-put-working-class-poor-provinces-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Apr 2022 14:15:11 +0000 Earlier this month, as Russian forces shelled Ukrainian cities and Covid-19 infections soared, China’s leaders gathered for their most important annual political meetings: the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. While the weighty documents and lengthy speeches hardly mentioned the pandemic, and did not mention Russia’s war at all, China – and its already troubled economy – is undoubtedly being rocked by both. For much of the past year, Beijing’s... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3171369/where-does-war-ukraine-and-troubled-economy-leave-chinas-common?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3171369/where-does-war-ukraine-and-troubled-economy-leave-chinas-common?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Mar 2022 17:30:14 +0000 “Common prosperity” may be on the lips of officials across China, but many local authorities are struggling to put the plan into action. After Beijing announced last year it had eliminated extreme poverty, it turned its attention to addressing social and economic inequality, with the goal of achieving so-called common prosperity by 2050. But beyond the big pronouncements, implementation – especially at a grass roots level – is being hampered by confusion about how best to help poor... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3170136/chinas-common-prosperity-drive-hits-snag-local-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3170136/chinas-common-prosperity-drive-hits-snag-local-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Mar 2022 04:00:25 +0000 China’s top economic planning agency said on Thursday the nation’s growth is still well behind developed countries and local governments should not be overambitious when it comes to implementing “common prosperity”. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) warned local authorities against over-promising on social welfare amid Beijing’s push to reduce its yawning wealth gap by the middle of the century. “There is still a big gap between our country’s development level and that of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3167400/china-warns-its-local-governments-dont-be-overambitious?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3167400/china-warns-its-local-governments-dont-be-overambitious?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Feb 2022 09:30:16 +0000 Long Covid refers to debilitating symptoms of the coronavirus that persist after convalescence. It will be a factor in global community health long after the pandemic is declared over. But in the longer term it may have less impact than another hangover of Covid-19 – an explosion in poverty around the world. Dark chapters in history rarely have a silver lining for the vulnerable poor. They stand to gain less and lose more. The pandemic is an example. A study by the charity Oxfam for the World... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/3164844/poor-are-paying-price-pandemic-widens-wealth-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/3164844/poor-are-paying-price-pandemic-widens-wealth-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jan 2022 16:41:39 +0000 The world’s income and wealth inequality is said to have reached an “alarming” level two years into a global pandemic that has killed at least 5.5 million people. The disparity has proved particularly challenging for Asian countries, forcing Beijing, Tokyo, Bangkok and others to provide more policy support, according to analysts. The wealth of the world’s 10 richest men has doubled to about US$1.5 trillion since the coronavirus pandemic began, but the incomes of 99 per cent of humanity are worse... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3164291/chinas-wealth-inequality-has-worsened-pandemic-highlighting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3164291/chinas-wealth-inequality-has-worsened-pandemic-highlighting?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jan 2022 12:00:20 +0000 The contrasting epidemiological reports of two coronavirus carriers in Beijing have sparked heated debate about widening inequality in China, laying bare the challenges facing the government’s “common prosperity” drive. Authorities in Beijing on Wednesday released the activity logs of a newly-detected asymptomatic carrier, surnamed Yue, which showed the 44-year-old migrant worker had visited nearly 30 different construction sites across the city from January 1-18. He once shuttled between five... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3164115/chinas-wealth-gap-laid-bare-contrasting-lives-two-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3164115/chinas-wealth-gap-laid-bare-contrasting-lives-two-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Jan 2022 04:14:24 +0000 China is an enigma to many foreigner observers who fail to understand its unique history, culture and political system. As a result, it is all too easy for them to make false judgments about the country’s policy direction. The Chinese government has made a huge commitment to common prosperity, prioritising it since 2021, and it may take decades to achieve. Three points need to be clarified to foster a better understanding of what China’s goal of common prosperity really means. Many overseas... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3163951/chinas-push-common-prosperity-has-been-misunderstood-rest-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3163951/chinas-push-common-prosperity-has-been-misunderstood-rest-world?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jan 2022 19:30:10 +0000 It has been a year of overwhelming change for China, and the fundamental shift in the relationship among the country’s government, businesses and citizens is a long way from complete. President Xi Jinping’s push for so-called common prosperity – aimed at narrowing the nation’s persistent wealth gap – underpins moves to limit the power of China’s technology giants, to cool ever-rising house prices, to encourage philanthropy and to embrace clean energy. The drive has dovetailed with a clampdown on... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3161525/chinas-common-prosperity-push-accelerating-how-will-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3161525/chinas-common-prosperity-push-accelerating-how-will-life?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Dec 2021 18:00:27 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping has renewed his call for the country to safeguard its grain supply and rural development, signalling continued concerns at the top about food security. During a Politburo Standing Committee meeting before the annual Central Rural Work Conference in Beijing on the weekend, Xi said that ensuring the supply of primary agricultural products was an important strategic issue, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday. “The food of the Chinese people must be made by and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3161100/chinas-xi-jinping-puts-focus-back-food-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3161100/chinas-xi-jinping-puts-focus-back-food-security?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Dec 2021 13:13:40 +0000 The accusations started in October and gathered steam throughout November into early December. In a series of videos published on a range of platforms, social commentator Sima Nan accused Lenovo, China’s largest PC maker, of selling state assets on the cheap. He also accused the company of paying top executives unreasonably high salaries and threatening national security by having foreign nationals make up more than half its 27 senior executives, among other things. As the posts rolled in, his... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3160691/when-chinese-tech-firms-lenovo-get-caught-nationalist-social?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3160691/when-chinese-tech-firms-lenovo-get-caught-nationalist-social?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Dec 2021 04:00:21 +0000 This is the third in a three-part series looking at the potential impact of China’s proposed property tax law. Computer programmer Zheng Wenxuan has two flats in Beijing – one for his own family and one for his parents who moved from their hometown in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang. The 42-year-old spends 25,000 yuan (US$3,900) a month for the combined mortgage payments – a heavy burden for the only breadwinner in the family. And that financial burden could become heavier with China’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3157477/chinas-property-tax-causing-sleepless-nights-homeowners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3157477/chinas-property-tax-causing-sleepless-nights-homeowners?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Nov 2021 14:00:15 +0000 On October 24, the National Development and Reform Commission published a guiding document detailing China’s road map to peak emissions and carbon neutrality. The document stated targets of carbon reduction for 2025, 2030 and 2060, which apply to the Greater Bay Area, including Hong Kong. Two days later, it published an action plan towards reaching peak carbon emissions before 2030. For this to happen, China must reduce its carbon emission by more than 65 per cent compared with 2005 levels, and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3155383/turn-hong-kongs-unused-land-solar-farms-meet-climate-change-goals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3155383/turn-hong-kongs-unused-land-solar-farms-meet-climate-change-goals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Nov 2021 22:30:20 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/china/series/3154340/chinas-push-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/series/3154340/chinas-push-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Oct 2021 07:29:24 +0000 This is the first part of a series of stories on China’s new push on “common prosperity”. Here, Jane Cai looks at the rise in inequality and the plight of people left behind. Threading his tricycle through the narrow alleys of downtown Beijing on a crisp October morning, Zhang Suning shivers a little. The worn jacket he has on struggles to keep out the autumn chill as the 54-year-old migrant worker starts his daily round collecting cardboard, bottles and other waste from households. Next stop,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3153466/chinas-army-migrant-workers-waits-xi-jinpings-common-prosperity-touch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3153466/chinas-army-migrant-workers-waits-xi-jinpings-common-prosperity-touch?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Oct 2021 02:00:17 +0000 Perpetual inequality will only increase if we always look the other way. This is especially so if, as some predictions suggest, the global population hits 10 billion in 2050, with more than 5 billion in Asia alone. Just as the 2008 financial meltdown oozed over the world with volcanic heat and the 1997 Asian financial crisis unhinged otherwise stable economies, so the grinding dynamic of widening inequality threatens our humanity, sense of justice and psychic equilibrium. As the French economist... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3152731/can-asia-lead-global-fight-cure-poverty-pandemic-us-lags-behind?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3152731/can-asia-lead-global-fight-cure-poverty-pandemic-us-lags-behind?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Oct 2021 17:30:09 +0000 President Xi Jinping has shed light on his plan to make everyone in China well-off. Last week, Xi showed how common prosperity is an integral part of his long-term vision and he has set two reasonable, and achievable goals, to match China’s national rejuvenation road map. The first yardstick in 2035 will see essential public services made equal for everyone, while by 2050 income gaps will be narrowed to a reasonable range. Unlike under former leader Mao Zedong, who tried to equalise wealth... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3152759/chinas-path-common-prosperity-will-be-road-littered-bitter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3152759/chinas-path-common-prosperity-will-be-road-littered-bitter?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Oct 2021 11:30:20 +0000 China’s poorest provinces have the smallest number of public charities working for them while some of the richest regions are home to the nation’s biggest fund-raising organisations, according to data from Tencent’s 99 Giving Day. Results from the 10-day fundraising drive last month showed Henan collected the most in donations, some 495 million yuan (US$76.9 million), followed by Chongqing with 452 million yuan, Zhejiang with 345 million yuan, Jiangsu with 292 million yuan and Hunan at 243... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3152732/tencents-china-charity-drive-shows-poorest-provinces-have?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3152732/tencents-china-charity-drive-shows-poorest-provinces-have?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Oct 2021 08:15:16 +0000 Within the span of a generation, a new super-rich class emerges from a society in which millions of rural migrants toil in factories for a pittance. Bribery becomes the most common mode of influence in politics. Opportunists speculate recklessly in land and real estate. All of this is happening in the world’s most promising emerging market and rising global power. This is not a description of contemporary China, but rather of the United States during the “Gilded Age” of the late 19th century.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3149662/can-xi-jinpings-fight-against-corruption-inequality-and-mounting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3149662/can-xi-jinpings-fight-against-corruption-inequality-and-mounting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Sep 2021 05:30:15 +0000 On August 17, President Xi Jinping explained the concept of “common prosperity” as a key requirement of socialism and a major feature of Chinese-style modernisation. Major policies are in for a sea of changes. These range from reforming income distribution to more equal opportunities in education, health care, pensions and housing; to addressing monopolistic behaviour; and to extending boundaries of common prosperity from physical wants to mental fulfilment. Reducing income inequality through... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3148814/foreign-firms-will-have-adapt-chinas-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3148814/foreign-firms-will-have-adapt-chinas-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Sep 2021 06:30:20 +0000