China issues white paper on moderate prosperity

BEIJING - China's State Council Information Office Tuesday issued a white paper to document the country's journey to moderate prosperity.

The white paper (full text), titled "China's Epic Journey from Poverty to Prosperity," said the realization of all-round moderate prosperity, as declared in July, marks a critical step towards national rejuvenation for the country.

Here're some of the highlights:

China's economic strength increases significantly

China has achieved a historic transformation from a low-income country to an upper-middle-income country, with per capita GDP rising from less than $100 in 1952 to over 10,000 dollars in 2020.

The vitality, potential and staying power of its economy have been nurtured by a population of over 1.4 billion in pursuit of common prosperity, including a middle-income group of over 400 million people that keeps expanding - offering a supersized market growing faster than any other place in the world. (Read more)

People's lives notably improved

Personal incomes have grown steadily, with the average per capita disposable income up to 32,189 yuan (about $4,975.5) in 2020 from 171 yuan in 1978.

Quality of life has improved, with the Engel coefficient of urban residents down from 57.5 percent in 1978 to 29.2 percent in 2020, and that of rural residents down from 67.7 percent to 32.7 percent during the period. (Read more)

Job market stable, employment quality rising

China's employed population rose from 180 million in 1949 to 750 million in 2020. The employment structure has improved to the extent that 47.7 percent of the workforce are now employed in the tertiary sector. (Read more)

Spending on scientific and technological research increases

Last year, China's R&D spending hit 2.4 trillion yuan (about $370.97 billion), ranking the world's second. The ratio of R&D to GDP reached 2.4 percent. (Read more)

China improves business environment, provides foreign investors with larger markets

The country has formulated high-standard policies to facilitate free trade and investment, including enacting the Foreign Investment Law, implementing pre-establishment national treatment, and expanding market access by reducing the number of items on the negative list. (Read more)

China sees historic changes to eco-environment

China has made strong headway in preventing and controlling pollution, attaining major achievements in its drive to keep the skies blue, the waters clear, and the land pollution-free in 2020. (Read more)

China ensures prosperity for every individual

China adopted a targeted strategy to help poor people rise out of poverty and achieve moderate prosperity along with the rest of the country.

By the end of 2020, all of the 99 million rural poor, and all of the 832 counties and 128,000 villages classified as poor under China's current poverty line, had shaken off poverty. (Read more)

China's success in achieving moderate prosperity opens new path to modernization for humanity

The country's experience offers a new option for those countries and peoples looking for both rapid growth and independence, and its success provides them with considerable opportunities for development. (Read more)

China contributes to world peace, development by achieving moderate prosperity

The achievements have made the world's most populous country more prosperous, its people happier and its society more stable.

China was also the first country to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, reopen its economy and achieve economic development. (Read more)