Experts and Citizens Skeptical About Chinese Communist Regime’s Poverty Eradication Claim

Epoch Times ^ | 02/28/2021 | Alex Wu

[SeekAndFind]

The Chinese communist regime recently put out high-profile propaganda claiming success in “Comprehensive Poverty Alleviation,” resulting in public outcry. Experts and Chinese citizens expressed their skepticism with The Epoch Times.

On Feb. 25, the regime held a National Poverty Alleviation Summary and Commendation conference. Xi Jinping, the leader of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), claimed at the conference, “Our country has achieved a comprehensive victory in the fight against poverty. Under the current standards, 98.99 million rural poor people have all been lifted out of poverty. All impoverished counties and villages have been lifted out of poverty.” He called it a “miracle on earth.”

However, the poverty line set by China is in question.

Hu Ping, a well-known U.S.-based China research expert and political commentator, said in an interview with The Epoch Times on Feb. 26, “[The CCP’s] poverty alleviation standards are actually lower than the internationally recognized poverty alleviation standards. Li Keqiang [China’s premier] also said that China still has 600 million people with an average monthly income of 1,000 yuan [$155] or lower. So according to this standard, in fact, strictly speaking, China is still far away from removing poverty.”

According to mainland Chinese media reports, the CCP defines its poverty alleviation standards as “one, two, three.” “One” means “one income” of about 4,000 yuan ($617) annually. “Two” means “two things that people don’t need to worry anymore,” which are food and clothes. “Three” means “three guarantees” which refers to the compulsory education, basic medical care, and housing guarantees.

The 2020 poverty line in the United States is an annual income of $12,760 per person.

[SeekAndFind]

Mr. Zhou, a retiree in Shanghai, told The Epoch Times, “An annual income of 4,000 yuan ($617) is equivalent to a bit more than 300 yuan ($46) a month. How can it be considered above poverty?” He revealed that a person in Shanghai needs at least 500 yuan ($77) to buy food every month. “There is also at least 200 yuan ($30) for transportation and at least 2,000 yuan ($300) to rent a place to live each month.”

[BenLurkin]

Mao’s solution to poverty was brutal: he killed the poor.

[butlerweave]

Poverty = Communist Party Control

[SaveFerris]

Same for America under Pelosi and co.

[Bayard]

Uyghurs standing up to proclaim how unpoor and miserable their lives are.

They are so motivated to proclaim they’re happy and not miserable at all.

[Fzob]

Sounds like being above the poverty line in China means you are close to but not actually starving to death.

[PIF]

Sounds like being above the poverty line in China means you are close to but not actually starving to death.

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Sounds like being above the poverty line in China means you wholeheartedly support the CCP and worship Mao, else starving to death will be the least of your worries.

[wjcsux]

I have been throughout China and see how the poor live there. There are subsistence farmers who live in shacks made of tarps and whatever they can find to make shelter. They work the fields from dawn to dusk every day. There are such farms throughout China. In the cities, they don’t faire any better. Our homeless are much better off.

[NetAddicted]

Rd later.