China’s search for a Milestone
In recent news, China has reached a major milestone in ending absolute poverty. Sadly, the communist party isn’t celebrating quite yet. This end to absolute poverty has been a five-year long fight by the president of China across the entire country. However, it does not appear that the president is celebrating yet. For years on end China has been one of the worlds most impoverished countries and ending absolute poverty has been an important policy goal for this current president of China, President Xi.
Xi guaranteed to reach his target by the end of 2020 and to finally establish a prosperous society. But, his goal is going to ultimately take a lot longer than he initiated. Senior, Allison Brown, stated that “There has been a lot of criticism of Beijing's goals and it’s methods in reaching them.” For example Beijing’s poverty line is around half the World Bank standard of just under $700 a year. Many people are surviving on less than $350 per a year.
This number seems almost impossible to anyone in America to think about surviving on for one whole year. Senior, Lizzie Kennedy stated that, “$350 wouldn’t last most people more than a week with rent, food and transportation.” China has slowly moved into one of the most rapidly urbanizing countries in all of the world. As suburbans rush to the cities in order to find jobs it leaves a lot of other suburbans with fewer job opportunities.
The president's poverty policies have focused greatly on the countryside due to this fact. Senior, Maya Salzman stated that, “Even if poverty is eliminated there are still people living in poverty and with very little in the swaths of China.” 600 million Chinese citizens or around 40% of their population are on an average of only $150 a month.
In 2019 it was reported that 1 million people were given access to safe drinking water. China has achieved so much in their road to recovery but it is only a small amount of what is necessary. To further increase the livelihood of its people China aims to make the poverty line even higher than where it is now. It will take a lot more to fully eliminate poverty but the track that they are on is heading in a good direction.