June 15, 2021
1 min read

Villagers facing widening income inequality in China

China has an urban population of roughly 900 million while another 500 million live in rural areas…reports Asian Lite News

Beijing’s push to modernise rural areas of China claiming to improving lives and reducing poverty, Chinese villagers across the nation are facing an even wider gap in income inequality against their urban counterparts as an economic opportunity in the countryside remains sparse.

According to Nikkei Asia, Chinese President Xi Jinping in December declared that the last counties on the list of impoverished areas had been removed, ending China’s long fight against extreme poverty. However, rural incomes are falling further behind those in China’s cities, and life in the countryside remains challenging.

“Our everyday life did get better over the last several years, but we’re still struggling,” said a 54-year-old pig farmer who earns less than 30,000 yuan a year.

China has an urban population of roughly 900 million while another 500 million live in rural areas. Urbanites earned 43,834 yuan on average in 2020, while rural residents averaged 17,131 yuan, government data shows.

The gap in actual income between the rural and the poor has widened by 57 per cent over a seven-year period as China’s rural areas have few work options outside agriculture, and the farming field lacks business growth, reported Nikkei Asia.

“Corporations in urban areas achieved growth by hiring low-wage migrant workers and becoming the ‘factory of the world,’ and they’re using villages as colonies. The gap is unlikely to narrow going forward,” said Fumiki Tahara of the University of Tokyo.

Many villagers leave for big cities as migrant workers, whose average earnings reached about 4,000 yuan a month in 2020 — far better pay than for farmers. But they remain far behind office workers. (ANI)

ALSO READ: ‘China’s three-child policy won’t prevent lower annual births’

Previous Story

‘China’s three-child policy won’t prevent lower annual births’

Next Story

Retail inflation zooms to over 6% in May

Latest from -Top News

Activists Targeted Again in Balochistan

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) on Tuesday condemned the enforced disappearance of Baloch leader Ghani Baloch, blaming Pakistan’s Law Enforcement Agencies and Frontier Corps….reports Asian Lite News The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC),

Islamabad-Ankara-Baku Axis Sharpens Against India

Both Turkey and Azerbaijan have openly expressed solidarity with Pakistan and backed Islamabad in its military standoff with India, this month….reports Asian Lite News The evolving alliance between Islamabad, Ankara, and Baku

India Targets Pak Terror Ties in Guyana

The delegation met the Guyanese President, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who had hosted a dinner to celebrate friendship and shared aspirations between the two nations…reports Asian Lite News Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, currently

EU Vows US Trade Deal

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen phoned Trump on Sunday, after which he agreed to postpone the planned tariff increase until July 9….reports Asian Lite News The European Commission remains “fully

ASEAN Unveils 2045 Vision

ASEAN leaders formally adopted the ACV 2045 and its strategic plans across four pillars: political-security, economic, socio-cultural, and connectivity…reports Asian Lite News The Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN 2045 — a strategic
Go toTop

Don't Miss

China destroys 99-foot Buddha statue in Drago county

With regard to the destruction of the statue, the source

Six Killed, Including Five Chinese, in Pakistan Suicide Blast

China’s Gezhouba Group Company is involved in the construction of