Q: For what reason did China carry out a policy of
encouraging some people to become rich first after reform and
opening up started in 1978? Dose this policy contradict equity, one
of the principles of socialism?
A: As is known to all, China turned to egalitarianism for some
time after 1949, which resulted in a common poverty instead of a
common prosperity. For this reason, China abandoned egalitarianism
at the very beginning of its reform and initiated a policy of
encouraging some regions and people to get rich before others to
stimulate initiatives in improving productivity.
This policy reflects the status quo of China's productive forces
and the relations of production at the primary stage of socialism.
It doesn't conflict with the principle of equity. Socialism is not
characterized by poverty. On the contrary, it aims to eliminate
poverty. To encourage some regions and people to get rich first
does not mean widening the gap between rich and poor. Frankly
speaking, if we were tolerant of the widening gap, there would be
no more than a small fraction of a new bourgeois class emerging in
some areas while most of the people would remain poor, given that
the country has a population of more than 1 billion people and is
still quite backward. We would consider it a failure if our policy
led to a greater gap between rich and poor. Therefore, it is vital
to strike a balance between partial prosperity and common
prosperity. We encourage parts of the country and people to become
rich via legitimate work and thereby push other areas and people
forward toward a common prosperity, which is one of the goals and
the essence of socialism.
Nevertheless, when some areas and individuals achieve prosperity
and the average persons' livelihood improves, problems of
inequitable distribution of wealth and a widening gap between rich
and poor arise. We take it as inevitable and tolerable that there
do exist disparities in income and wealth among citizens in the
course of achieving a common prosperity at the primary stage of
socialism. But if these disparities increase and remain unsolved
for a long time, major initiatives will undoubtedly be diminished,
thus hampering the course of reform. A variety of policies are
initiated in order to tackle this, including protecting legitimate
income and confiscating money gained illegally, adjusting excessive
income [through i.e. income tax], increasing the proportion of
middle-income earners and raising the income of poorly paid
workers, accelerating the building of a full-scale social security
system, and making an overall plan for the harmonious development
between urban and rural areas, between different regions, and
between economy and society.
It's our goal to achieve a common prosperity and encouraging
some regions and people to become rich first is a practical way of
heading toward this goal, which has already been proven by practice
over the past two-plus decades. China's reform and opening up has
been following this policy by first encouraging the development of
coastal provinces and cities in east China, and then pursuing the
strategy of western development and rejuvenation of the old
industrial bases in the northeast. With developed areas boosting
the underdeveloped regions, China is continuing toward the goal of
building a well-off society in an all-around way.
Nangong Village, on the outskirts of
Beijing, has prospered due to the development of hi-tech
agriculture. Pictured are new houses of local farmers.
