RFA: Xi Jinping’s “comprehensive poverty eradication” bull blows up

This top-down official campaign against poverty has become a show of political allegiance for officials everywhere. Dazhou Municipal Government Official Release / February 2019

After Xi Jinping‘s high-profile declaration that “China has completely eradicated poverty,” “poverty” became a sensitive topic, and domestic media were not allowed to report on the issue truthfully. The private sector’s income has fallen across the board in the last year, and the lack of money for medical care continues to worsen, while aid for poor students has fallen sharply.

Chinese officials have been touting the comprehensive eradication of poverty, with President Xi Jinping calling it a “miracle on earth” during a “National Poverty Eradication Summit” on Thursday. The “miracle on earth”. The public debate has been heated.

We interviewed Mr. Zhou, who was involved in the construction of Wuhan Thunder God Mountain Hospital. He said that because of the Epidemic, he and most of his workers lost their jobs for almost half of the last year, and this situation is very common in his hometown, including himself, those families who were already in difficulties, and it has been more difficult this year, but they cannot apply for low income insurance at all.

Official media reporter Li Feng revealed that although the official slogan of the so-called two no worries and three guarantees was put forward, saying that the rural poor should not worry about Food and clothing, and have the guarantee of compulsory Education, basic medical care and housing security, it only takes one major illness to return to poverty completely. And under official political pressure, the media dare not report such negative news, and even private relief platforms are restricted.

Li Feng said: two do not worry about three security well, do not worry about food and clothing. As for the situation behind how? This still has a certain impact. Besides, there are many people who are poor because of illnesses, and it is difficult to see a doctor and expensive to see a doctor, which is actually not solved, and currently it is not solved. The media is basically not involved in this piece. You should know from seeing those two fundraising platforms that it is indeed more difficult.

Ms. Zhu, a medical professional from Hubei, believes that the situation in the inpatient departments of major hospitals can be considered one of the indicators of whether the population is really out of poverty. Every day there are patients and families who are in desperate straits without money to pay their bills. In large hospitals like Wuhan Central Hospital, for example, patients who cannot afford to pay their hospital fees and even borrow from friends and relatives still find it difficult to continue. Especially after last year’s New Crown epidemic, many seriously infected people with damaged bodies, even if they recovered a Life, the follow-up treatment has left many families in deep distress quickly.

Chen Hongtao, a senior media figure in Henan province, cited his own situation as an example to confirm the seriousness of the problem of poverty caused by disease in the country. He said the official high-profile publicity victory out of poverty, but the actual situation is only the figures out of poverty.

Chen Hongtao said: relatively speaking, what is this standard of their poverty? I originally said that the end of 2020 to be fully out of poverty, which is the same as now, regardless of whether it is out of poverty, anyway, people are now declared due to complete the task. My Family of 6 people, I am the only one who has income. It must be the kind of income below 1,000 yuan that Premier Li said. Most people in China are like this now. There are many people who are returning to poverty because of illness, and those who are poor because of illness.

Zhejiang lawyer Wu Youshui pointed out that the official high-profile announcement of the total elimination of poverty, but the reality is that even in the developed eastern regions, the loss of the ability to work of the elderly in rural areas, the so-called monthly pension only 78 yuan, and in the more backward areas of the west, the situation is even more serious. But under official pressure, the word “poverty” has become extremely sensitive.

Wu Youshui said: the problem of food and clothing is not solved, there are still many. These people who have lost their ability to work, retired, 78 yuan. Or from 70 yuan to 78 yuan, a month. Are they poor people? Therefore, the Chinese government, with this kind of comprehensive poverty eradication, if anyone dares to say that there is still a poor population in China in the future, it is anti-party, it is subverting the state power.

The State Ministry of Civil Affairs declined to comment on the spate of poverty issues. But the latest information released by the ministry shows that fewer than 45 million people received low-income security assistance last November, while China’s unemployment numbers are in the hundreds of millions.

Before 2016, Xi Jinping claimed he wanted to complete a full eradication of poverty by 2020, and Chinese officials consider an annual per capita income of about 4,000 yuan to be the standard for poverty eradication. But because prices continue to soar, such an income is now in fact only enough to meet basic survival needs. Officials are at the same Time imposing restrictions on private mutual aid. In places like Beijing, the mass eviction of lower-class workers and vendors for image projects has resulted in the loss of livelihood opportunities for millions of people at the bottom.

A survey by our correspondent of several aid departments for poor students, including Yunnan University, found that in a recent semester, tens of thousands of students applied for aid, but less than one-fifth of them ended up receiving only a few thousand dollars a year in state aid and various local subsidies, and aid from the private sector also dropped significantly from the previous year.

In line with Xi’s high-profile propaganda of his “victory in poverty alleviation,” a new independent agency, the National Rural Revitalization Bureau, was opened Thursday in Beijing’s Chaoyang District, replacing the 35-year-old State Council Poverty Alleviation Office. “According to official media reports, the first director is Wang Zhengpu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee and Minister of Organization.