ZY: A recent online survey by CCTV NEWS has been asking people to give their views on social inequality in China.
MM: In our Weibo poll, we asked what can be done to improve inequality in wealth and incomes. Most people say the government should improve social security and welfare provision. Around 33 percent believe income distribution reforms are urgently needed. 12 percent of those surveyed said they'd support reforms to China's income tax system. And another 10 percent think the Hukou, or family registration system, must be reformed, along with measures to guarantee equal employment opportunities for both urban and rural workers.
ZY: Pledges and promises mean nothing if they're not implemented. There are still many social problems that are unsolved. What do netizens say about social problems in China?
MM: There's a lot of talk about the gap between rich and poor. Let's look at some comments. Netizen Wei Dengyu says hundreds of thousands of people are living below the poverty line and that urban residents have much better education and medical services than those in rural areas. Another microblogger also highlights the rich-poor gap, but also links it to the gaps between urban and rural residents, state-owned and private companies, and salaried and temporary workers.
And he adds that slogans are meaningless, without implementation. Other netizens have offered their own suggestions. Microblogger Aobali says that to narrow the gap between rich and poor, the government should reform the primary distribution system and break the existing monopoly of large state-owned enterprises. He says these companies monopolize important resources such as transport, energy and communication. He's calling for greater competition in these areas. That's what I have.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)