Imbalance in Development – the Neglected Population in Rural China
Imbalance in Development – the Neglected Population in Rural China
China is now under the spotlight for her stunningly rapid economic growth, as she now places second behind the United States, with a gross domestic product of US$7.298 trillion in 2010 according to the World Bank. Yet there have been doubts and concerns about the differential treatment of urban and rural population by the Central People’s Government (CPG). Since Hong Kong has become more closely linked with the Mainland, and sustainable growth has been increasingly important, it is crucial for the CPG to review the policies of promoting advancements and economic growth, as they should be catering the entire nation rather than being selective in order to achieve an overall improvement in living standards.
Background
The economic developments in rural and urban areas are increasingly imbalanced in recent years. The ratio of disposable income of residents in urban areas to that of residents in rural areas has increased from 1.86 in 1985 to 3.33 in 2009. The economic growth rate of rural areas is way lower than that of urban areas. The richest population is concentrated in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong etc., while the poorest population lives in Tibet, Qinghai and Gansu etc.
Dualistic Economy
In China, the nation’s economy can be regarded as a dualistic one, divided into the rural agricultural economy and the urban industrial economy. There are different sets of principles, social welfare and economic development policies for these two economies.
When China started to open up under Deng Xiaoping’s reform, foreign companies set up their factories and branches in the budding nation. Investments were brought in and an enormous amount of cheap labour for the quickly developing manufacturing industries at that time. This demand of labour was satisfied when the CPG brought over 200 million people from the countryside to the cities, and they formed the first batch of what we now call “rural
China is now under the spotlight for her stunningly rapid economic growth, as she now places second behind the United States, with a gross domestic product of US$7.298 trillion in 2010 according to the World Bank. Yet there have been doubts and concerns about the differential treatment of urban and rural population by the Central People’s Government (CPG). Since Hong Kong has become more closely linked with the Mainland, and sustainable growth has been increasingly important, it is crucial for the CPG to review the policies of promoting advancements and economic growth, as they should be catering the entire nation rather than being selective in order to achieve an overall improvement in living standards.
Background
The economic developments in rural and urban areas are increasingly imbalanced in recent years. The ratio of disposable income of residents in urban areas to that of residents in rural areas has increased from 1.86 in 1985 to 3.33 in 2009. The economic growth rate of rural areas is way lower than that of urban areas. The richest population is concentrated in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong etc., while the poorest population lives in Tibet, Qinghai and Gansu etc.
Dualistic Economy
In China, the nation’s economy can be regarded as a dualistic one, divided into the rural agricultural economy and the urban industrial economy. There are different sets of principles, social welfare and economic development policies for these two economies.
When China started to open up under Deng Xiaoping’s reform, foreign companies set up their factories and branches in the budding nation. Investments were brought in and an enormous amount of cheap labour for the quickly developing manufacturing industries at that time. This demand of labour was satisfied when the CPG brought over 200 million people from the countryside to the cities, and they formed the first batch of what we now call “rural