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Poverty reduction praiseworthy

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-31 13:26

The 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) says people earning less than 1,500 yuan ($226.44) a year will be considered to be living in poverty. The move is designed to help people benefit more from the country's rapid economic and social progress, says an article in Wen Wei Pao. Excerpts:

The media and public have welcomed the move to raise the standard for poverty by 25 percent, though that will increase the population of the poor in China to about 100 million and prompt the central leadership to intensify its poverty alleviating measures over the next five years.

In the past ten years, the number of poor people in rural areas dropped by about 58.26 million and the impoverishment rate fell from 10.2 percent to 3.8 percent.

But even then some people continue to underestimate China's determination and efforts to alleviate poverty, especially because the new standard for poverty is still low compared with the world standard.

Such criticism, however, is one-sided. The truth is that China's per capita GDP remains low despite its economic growth because of its huge population.

The country now desperately needs capital to sustain its economic growth, spur the development of science and education, and improve people's livelihood.

But despite that it is sparing no effort to alleviate poverty, and that deserves praise, not criticism.