China raises poverty line, 100m qualify for help

(Ecns.cn)--China has grown into a rich country with a GDP ranking of No.2 in the world, but a staggering proportion of its population still lives in poverty. The government has added to its responsibilities by raising the poverty line. As of November 29, there has been a 92 percent increase (over 2009) in those who technically live under the poverty line. Now 100 million people fall into this group.

China has lifted the state poverty line several times in the 33 years since the launch of reform and opening-up, but especially during the last three years. The state defined the poverty line at a per capita annual income of 1,196 yuan in 2009, 12 percent higher than 2008. It was moved to 1,274 yuan in 2010, stimulated by the soaring CPI. Now the new poverty line is in accordance with China's 2010 average income per capita in rural areas - 2,300 yuan.

Some 27 billion yuan have financed China's effort to combat poverty this year, with a record 21-percent growth in funding, according to a source from the National Poverty Alleviation Office. Nearly 27 million people in rural areas were reclassified as the official poor by the 2010 poverty line. Under the new definition of poverty, a population of over 100 million is now eligible for the government's anti-poverty subsidies, reports CCTV.

Down-to-earth attitude

"We expected the new poverty line to reach 1,500 yuan, but the actual line is much higher", says Lu Mai, chairman of the China Development Research Fund. It seems the government has made a firm decision to help low-income people improve their lives.

It shows China is brave enough to expose its poverty - its dark side, to the world, and it is also evidence that China is confident it can resolve the poverty issue, even for such a massive population, said commentator Yu Fenghui.

The government has a down-to-earth attitude about its responsibility to alleviate poverty, says Zhuang Jian, a senior economist from Asian Development Bank. "The government cares about the livelihoods available to its rural population, it is not just seeking a technical fix," explains Zhuang.

Poverty, the reality

Old, shabby, humid houses used to be the normal living conditions in the Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Liangshan, a mountainous area of southwestern China. The miserable residences stand in contradiction to the beautiful landscape.

A housing project extending over eight years is designed to improve on the barely livable conditions there. To date, 602,500 peasants have moved into new-built homes. But the peasants still have a long way to go to eradicate poverty.

Their remote location and poor road conditions means mountain-locked villagers can't get their agricultural products to market in the world outside. Poorly educated or illiterate presents have no idea how to market or promote their products, so wait passively for buyers to show up.

The complications don't end there. The Liangshan Mountain region is an HIV-affected community, with over 16,000 persons diagnosed as HIV positive as of 2009, according to the Southern Daily. Many people here live with the double curse of HIV and poverty. When HIV sufferers pass away, they leave orphans behind. Even worse, some of these kids are HIV carriers themselves.

These extremely abject cases demonstrate that the condition of poverty is a complicated, many layered problem. It not only involves clothing, food and housing, but also culture and education. Experts suggest independence and financial health should be kick-started with a package that covers materials, morals, education and culture. "If we want to offer help to the needy, we must respect their rights and hear their voices rather than act as uninvolved money-donors", says Bai Yasong, a CCTV news emcee.

Liangshan Mountain is a microcosm of China's impoverished. All across China similar tales can be told in 592 counties who were still battling poverty in 2010, when the country's GDP ranked second worldwide.