Delegate expresses concern over growing wealth gap

The growing gap between the rich and the poor is very dangerous, said Zhong Nanshan, delegate of Guangzhou People's Congress, Guangzhou Daily reported on Wednesday.

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The academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, famous for his efforts to combat SARS in 2003, says that 2010 witnessed limited increase of Guangzhou residents' income from 2005.

"The growth rate of the residents' income was similar to that of Guangzhou's GDP per capita, but was lower than the general growth rate of the city's GDP. … The residents' general income has not increased much if we leave out inflation rates of the past years," Zhong said, attributing the slow increase to "irrational" distribution of the GDP. He also pointed out that it's a long way to achieving common prosperity, even though some people have gained wealth.

Zhong advises government to concentrate on issues involving people's livelihood, saying, "It doesn't matter how much the GDP has grown. Government performance should be mainly valued by how much it does to actually improve people's lives."