--- SEARCH ---
WEATHER
CHINA
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
CULTURE
GOVERNMENT
SCI-TECH
ENVIRONMENT
SPORTS
LIFE
PEOPLE
TRAVEL
WEEKLY REVIEW
Film in China
War on Poverty
Learning Chinese
Learn to Cook Chinese Dishes
Exchange Rates
Hotel Service
China Calendar
Trade & Foreign Investment

Hot Links
China Development Gateway
Chinese Embassies

Public Goods in Great Shortage

While goods provided by the market are in great supply in China's flourishing economy, public goods are in great shortage.

 

On June 13, over a thousand applicants queued in the scorching sun in a long line that extended for more than 500 meters in order to buy an affordable flat in Tiantongyuan on the outskirts of Beijing.

 

Affordable housing, as a part of the social security system aimed at low-income families, is in short supply in the capital. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), investment in affordable housing construction accounted for only 10 percent of total investment in residential housing construction in 2004 – only slightly higher than the 7 percent in the first five months of this year.

 

On July 16 and 17, 2,500 students from 19 schools in 17 villages received immunization from a local epidemic prevention station in Sixian County, Anhui Province, and around 300 were taken ill afterwards. Though the vaccines used were proved safe later, the chaos in their purchase and supply by grassroots organizations revealed hidden hazards for public health in rural areas.

 

Back in 2003, the outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) also showed a lack of public health emergency mechanisms, disease prevention and control systems, etc.

 

Other public goods such as basic education, environmental protection, basic laws and regulations are all in short supply.

 

China is now entering a period with increasing demand for public goods. International experiences indicate that as per capita GDP exceeds US$1,000 and heads towards US$3,000, the demand for public goods will expand rapidly. Modernization in this period is mainly based on public services.

 

The country is now at such a stage with per capita GDP exceeding US$1,000 in 2003. People have shifted focus from demand for enough food and clothing to that for public services such as education, medical treatment and sanitation.

 

The gap between cities and the countryside is widening. For a long time, China's public goods have been mainly provided to city and town residents. However, the majority population of 800 million farmers does not have adequate access to government financed public goods.

 

The minimum living standard system was initiated in 1997. By May 2002, 3.38 million people in rural areas were covered by it, accounting for 10 percent of rural poor. However, those under the umbrella of the system are mostly households enjoying the five guarantees and disabled people who have lost the ability to work, making it more like social relief.

 

Prices of medical treatment and medicines have been set according to the income of urban people. Farmers, on incomes only one sixth that of urban people, cannot afford them.

 

Also widening is the gap between rich and poor. According to the white Paper entitled China's Employment Situation and Policies, there is now a surplus of 150 million rural laborers who need to be shifted to non-agricultural industries or to cities, and over 11 million laid-off workers who need to be reemployed.

 

According to a World Bank report, China's Gini Coefficient, an international index used to measure income distribution, now stands at 0.458, higher than the internationally recognized alarm threshold of 0.4. NBS figures show the richest 10 percent of the population possess 45 percent of the total wealth in China, while the poorest 10 percent only possess 1.4 percent.

 

China now has an increasing number of migrant people who have become an important part of their adopted cities. However, many policy barriers in education, social security, permanent residency and employment have prevented them from having equal rights. Basic legal guarantees are greatly needed.

 

China is gradually growing into a citizens' society from one that takes official rank or status as the only criterion for judging one's social worth. A citizens' society accentuates interaction between government and citizens.

 

Government should take measures based on public opinion and the public should participate in and supervise the establishment and implementation of public policies.

 

In the establishment of a citizens' society, public demand for information on risk-prevention and policy development increases, but that supplied is often too little, too late and inaccurate or vague, and citizens don't have enough channels to voice their opinions.

 

(China.org.cn by Yuan Fang August 1, 2005)

 

Fairness and Liability Urged
1st Public Service Committee Established
Print This Page
|
Email This Page
About Us SiteMap Feedback
Copyright © China Internet Information Center. All Rights Reserved
E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-68326688
主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲理论电影在线观看| 国产AV寂寞骚妇| 99re66热这里只有精品17 | 四虎影视永久在线精品免费| 国产乱码精品一区二区三区中| 国产老买老妇bbb| 99久久精品免费看国产| 好男人影视社区www在线观看| 中文字幕免费在线看线人| 日本特交大片免费观看| 久久这里只精品| 最近免费最新高清中文字幕韩国 | 日本中文字幕有码视频| 久久综合久综合久久鬼色| 欧美乱子伦一区二区三区| 亚洲日韩区在线电影| 波多野结衣之双调教hd| 免费大片av手机看片| 精品无码国产自产拍在线观看蜜| 国产一二三在线观看| 被窝影院午夜无码国产| 国产在线无码精品电影网| 国产喷水女王在线播放| 国产浮力第一页草草影院| 亚洲国产精品成人久久久| 狠狠躁夜夜躁人人爽天天天天97| 免费高清av一区二区三区| 美女张开腿黄网站免费| 国产一区二区三区内射高清| 青娱乐国产视频| 国产午夜精品一区二区三区不卡| 黄色网址免费观看视频| 国产成人精品曰本亚洲78| 国产婷婷综合丁香亚洲欧洲| 国产男女无遮挡猛进猛出| 男女下面一进一出视频在线观看 | 久久精品视频一区二区三区| 最近中文字幕国语免费完整| 亚洲av第一网站久章草| 桃花影院www视频播放| 亚洲av无码专区在线播放|