A senior Chinese legislator said Sunday that the Chinese
government is exerting efforts to tackle the wealth disparity that
emerges with its rapid economic development.
Cheng Siwei, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of China's
National People's Congress, told an international economic forum
held in Cairo that China is experiencing a steady transition from
the planned economy to the socialist market economy, with an
average economic growth of 9 percent per year. China's gross
domestic product amounted to US$2.5 trillion in 2006 and its
people's income also enjoyed a speedy increase.
However, Cheng said that as a nation with expansive territory,
the development in different areas, such as in the coastal and
inland, and the urban and rural areas, is imbalanced. The wealth
gap still exists in China.
The Chinese government is making efforts to address those
problems, such as repealing taxes on peasants and encouraging
philanthropy, he said.
Cheng also briefed the forum on other issues, including China's
social security system and the government's supervision of the
market.
Cheng traveled to Egypt following his trip to the annual meeting
of the World Economic Forum in Davos of Switzerland.
(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2007)