China to prevent falling into trap of welfarism in pursuing common prosperity
Having long been high on the Chinese government agenda, 共同富裕 common prosperity has gained particular attention since 2021 from both home and abroad as the leadership has put it in a more prominent position. An essential requirement of socialism and a key feature of Chinese-style modernization, common prosperity refers to affluence shared by everyone both in material and cultural terms.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, held a press conference (link in Chinese) Thursday on supporting the eastern province of Zhejiang to build a demonstration zone for promoting common prosperity. It is a latest official explanation of the common prosperity policy so far, including both conceptual contents and concrete goals and measures.
Last year, I worked as a journalist in Zhejiang for three months, covering the province's efforts to promote common prosperity. The experience in Zhejiang has piqued my curiosity in following up on this subject. I also recognize that outsiders are curious about this concept and may be perplexed by it, so I believe it is my obligation to assist them in learning more about this vital initiative.
This newsletter will offer you a partial translation of the press conference. It is selected, translated and highlighted by Ginger River.
浙江卫视记者: 我们了解到浙江围绕推动收入分配制度改革试验区建设，目前正在研究、准备出台“扩中”“提低”行动方案，这个行动方案有哪些具体内容，请介绍一下。
Question (Zhejiang TV reporter): We understand that Zhejiang is preparing to introduce the action plan of 扩中 "expanding middle-income group" and 提低 "raising salary of low-income group," which is structured around the development of the experimental zone for income distribution system reform. What are the specific contents of the action plan?
谢晓波: 打造收入分配制度改革试验区是中央赋予浙江共同富裕示范区的“四大战略定位”之一，也是当前我们推动高质量发展建设共同富裕示范区的重点任务。
Xie Xiaobo (deputy chief of Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission): Building the experimental zone for income distribution system reform is one of the "four major strategic roles" set by the central government for Zhejiang to build the demonstration zone for promoting common prosperity and a key task for us.
2021年7月，我省就开始研究起草《浙江省“扩中”“提低”行动方案》，目标是推动率先基本形成以中等收入群体为主体的橄榄型社会结构。聚焦这一目标，我们还提出了量化目标，核心指标就是到2025年，浙江家庭年可支配收入10—50万元群体比例要达到80%、20—60万元群体比例要达到45%。
In July 2021, our province began to draft the action plan of "expanding middle-income group" and "raising salary of low-income group." Our goal is to form an olive-shaped social structure with the middle-income group as the mainstay. We set quantitative objectives to achieve that goal. By 2025, 80 percent of households in the eastern province will see their annual disposable income reach 100,000 yuan (about 16,000 U.S. dollars) to 500,000 yuan. The proportion of households with an annual disposable income of 200,000 yuan to 600,000 yuan will reach 45 percent.
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中国青年报记者: 浙江目前对高校毕业生、进城农民工、新就业形态劳动者等 重点群体的就业帮扶政策有哪些，实施效果如何？
Question (China Youth Daily): What are the employment assistance policies for college graduates, migrant workers, labors with new forms of employment and other key groups in Zhejiang, and how well did they work?
陈中: 就业是最大的民生。党中央、国务院高度重视就业工作，尤其关注高校毕业生、农民工、新就业形态劳动者等群体的就业。浙江认真贯彻中央的决策部署，不断完善重点群体就业的政策体系和工作举措，取得了比较好的成效。
Chen Zhong (deputy director of Human Resources and Social Security Department of Zhejiang): Employment is the most important aspect of people's livelihood. The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to employment, especially the employment situation of college graduates, migrant workers and labors with new forms of employment. Zhejiang earnestly implements the central government's decision and deployment, and constantly improves the policy system and measures for the employment of key groups, which has achieved good results.
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大学生想创业，可贷款10万到50万，如果创业失败，贷款10万以下的由政府代偿，贷款10万以上的部分，由政府代偿80%。大学生从事家政、养老和现代农业创业，政府给予10万元的创业补贴，大学生到这些领域工作，政府给予每人每年1万的就业补贴，连续补贴3年。
College students who want to start a business can get a loan from 100,000 to 500,000 yuan (about 16,000 to 79,000 U.S. dollars). If the business fails, the government will cover the full loss of the loan which is under 100,000 yuan and 80% of the loss above 100,000 yuan. For the college students who start a business in household management, elderly care service and modern agriculture industry, the government gives them 100,000 yuan as subsidy. For college students who are employed in those areas, the government gives them 10,000 yuan per person per year as subsidy for three consecutive years.
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浙江是用工大省，省外务工人员在浙江有2300万，他们为浙江经济社会发展作出了重要贡献。在浙江，省外务工人员与本地户籍的劳动者享受同等的就业创业服务和政策。另外，我们还开发不讲技能、不讲学历、不讲年龄的爱心岗位，专门安置脱贫人口，保证他们的月薪4500元以上，去年全省有脱贫人口225万。
Zhejiang is a large province of labor, and there are 23 million migrant workers in Zhejiang, who have made important contributions to the economic and social development of the province. In Zhejiang, migrant workers from areas outside the province enjoy the same employment and entrepreneurship services and policies as workers who are local registered residence. In addition, we have developed job positions without regard to skills, educational background or age to provide opportunities for people who have been lifted out of poverty, guaranteeing them a monthly salary of more than 4,500 yuan (about 710 U.S. dollars). Last year, 2.25 million people in the province were lifted out of poverty.
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央广中国之声记者: 对于共同富裕，有人认为这下可以“躺平”“等靠要”了，也有人认为政府要搞“福利主义”了，对此国家发展改革委如何看待？
Question (China National Radio) : For common prosperity, some think that it means that people can "躺平" "lying flat" (a term to describe the youngsters who give up ambitions and do the bare minimum to get by) and “等靠要” "wait, rely on and request" (a term to describe the impoverished areas which reject hard work and just wait for, rely on and request financial aid from the authorities at a higher level), and some people think that the government will engage in “福利主义” "welfarism." How does the NDRC view this?
哈增友: 谢谢您的提问！我们也注意到社会上确实存在这些模糊认识。我借这个机会我重点从两个方面来澄清。
Ha Zengyou (director of the Employment Department of the NDRC): Thank you for your question! We have noted that these ambiguous perceptions do exist in society. I will take this opportunity to clarify them on two aspects.
一方面，我们必须明确的是，共同富裕要靠共同奋斗。幸福生活都是奋斗出来的，共同富裕要靠勤劳智慧来创造。习近平总书记早就谆谆告诫我们，中国人民自古就明白，世界上没有坐享其成的好事，要幸福就要奋斗。共同富裕等不来，也喊不来，必须是拼出来、干出来的。
On the one hand, what must be made clear is that common prosperity is contingent on concerted efforts. Happy life rests on endeavors, and common prosperity depends on hard work and wisdom. General Secretary Xi Jinping has long reminded us that the Chinese people have known since ancient times that there is no such thing as sitting idle and enjoying all the benefits of life. Happiness requires hard work. Common prosperity can not be achieved by waiting or calling. It must be achieved through hard work.
实现共同富裕目标，首先需要通过全国人民共同奋斗把蛋糕做大做好，只有人人参与、人人尽力，才能真正实现人人享有。下一步，我们要在全社会大力弘扬勤劳致富精神，鼓励全体劳动者通过诚实劳动、合法经营、创新创业创造迈向幸福美好生活。
To achieve the goal of common prosperity, what must be done in the first place is to work together with the people of the country to make the cake bigger and better. Only when everyone participates and does their best, can everyone share the fruits of endeavors. Next, we should vigorously promote the spirit of achieving prosperity through hard work in the whole society, and encourage all labors to create a happy and beautiful life through honest efforts, legal business, innovation and entrepreneurship.
另一方面，我们需要坚持的是，尽力而为、量力而行地推进共同富裕。我们要从国情实际出发，遵循经济社会发展规律，脚踏实地、久久为功，稳步提升民生保障水平。所谓“尽力而为”，就是要坚持在发展中保障和改善民生，用心用情用力办好民生实事，以更大的力度、更实的举措提高全体人民群众获得感、幸福感、安全感和认同感。
On the other hand, what must be adhered to is to promote common prosperity to the best of our ability and do what we can. We must bear in mind China's national conditions, follow the laws of economic and social development, take solid steps and make lasting efforts to steadily improve people's livelihood. “To the best of our ability” means that we will ensure and improve people's well-being in the course of development, and take more vigorous and concrete measures to improve the people's sense of fulfillment, happiness, security and identity.
所谓“量力而行”，就是要清醒地看到，我国发展水平离发达国家还有很大差距，我们一定要把保障和改善民生建立在经济发展和财力可持续的基础之上，不能好高骛远、吊高胃口，作兑现不了的承诺。即使将来发展更好、财力更雄厚了，也不能提过高的目标、搞过头的保障，坚决防止落入“福利主义”养懒汉的陷阱。
"Do what we can" means that we must be fully aware that China's level of development is still far from the developed countries. We must secure and improve people's livelihoods on the basis of economic development and financial sustainability. We can not be overly ambitious, overly stimulate appetite, or make promises that can not be fulfilled. Even if the development in the future became better and financial resources became stronger, we should not mention over high goals, engage in excessive protection, and we must resolutely prevent falling into the trap of "welfarism" to feed lazy people.
对于各地党委政府来讲，在推动共同富裕的过程中，要坚持有所为有所不为，重点是加强基础性、普惠性、兜底性民生保障建设，重在提升公共服务水平，特别是在教育、医疗、养老、住房等人民群众最关心的领域精准提供基本公共服务，同时要切实兜住困难群众基本生活底线。这里面很重要的是为全体人民提高受教育程度、增强自我发展能力创造更加普惠公平的条件，同时要靠制度搭建公平公正的干事创业平台，使每个人都有通过不懈奋斗实现人生出彩的机会。
For local party committees and governments, in the process of promoting common prosperity, it is important to stick to do what is appropriate and discard what is inappropriate. It is key to focus on strengthening basic, inclusive and minimum-level protection of people's livelihood. The key lies in enhancing the level of public service, especially accurately providing basic public services in education, health care, pension, housing, and other areas which are people’s primary concerns. At the same time, we must effectively secure the basic living standards of people in need. What is highly important is to create more inclusive and equitable conditions for all people to improve their education and capacity for self-development. We need to build up a system to create a fair and just platform for people to work and start their own businesses, so that everyone can have an opportunity to achieve success in life through unremitting efforts.