China’s economic strength has greatly increased. In 1952, China’s GDP was USD 30 billion. In 2019, China’s GDP increased to USD 14.4 trillion, with an average annual growth rate of 8.1 percent. From 2010 on, China’s economy sits steadily as the second largest worldwide. The wealth China creates every 6 hours in 2019 equivalent to its GDP of the whole year in 1952. In 2019, China’s GDP, increased by 6.1 percent than that of 2018, an increase of USD 800 billion. This growth rate means that China’s economic growth in a single year is equal to the entire economy of a medium-sized developed country. China has developed into a manufacturing giant, the only one equipped with a complete range of industries. The output of many industrial products in China rank first in the world, for example, textile products, beer, cellphones, automobiles, high-speed railways, etc. That explains why China accounts for 35 percent of global manufacturing output today.
The Chinese people’s living standards have been greatly improved. A persevering effort has provided the Chinese people with adequate food and clothing, and made it possible for them to live decent lives and move towards a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Over the past 71 years, more than 850 million Chinese people have shaken off poverty; average life expectancy more than doubled from 35 to 77 years, higher than the world’s average of 72. China has established a preliminary social security system covering elderly care, medical care, minimum subsistence, housing and education, the largest in scale and covering the largest population in the world.
Universal education expands remarkably. In the early days of the PRC, China’s education system was poor and the general level of education was low. 80% percent of the population was illiterate. To graduate from junior secondary school was an unattainable goal. Only about 1 out of 5500 people was lucky to find his or her seat at the college. Having invested an enormous effort, China has scored significant progress. Today every child is entitled to the free nine-year compulsory education. Availability of senior secondary education in China is universal. Now there is about a total of 38 million students studying in colleges and universities. China now has a talent bank of 170 million people who have received higher education or vocational education, and generates more than 8 million college graduates each year.
People enjoy easier ways to communicate: more convenient public transport and improved telecommunication services. Decades ago, it was common that children locked their eyes on anyone who rides a bicycle. Like the bicycle, a sewing machine was regarded as one of the most precious gifts for the newly-weds then. Nowadays, hardly could a car catch the kids’ attention. With one of the world’s best transport networks, travelling thousands of miles away in a few hours is nothing more than a familiar experience for most of the people. 99.9 percent of villages are connected to the road network. The mileages of high-speed railway and express way in China both rank the first in the world. The public transport is affordable and accessible. Spending less than the airfare, you can run more miles on the bullet train. Every 10-15 minutes, there is a chance that you could board on a train leaving from the capital city, Beijing, 1318 kilometers southward, for Shanghai, one of the world’s financial center. And you can buy the high-speed railway ticket anywhere, anytime through Apps on the phone. Early this month during China’s National Day holiday, over 600 million tourists made domestic trips.
Gone are the days when you had to visit the telegraph building to make a long-distance call. As of June 2019, 1.36 billion people in China, 97.1 percent of the country’s total population, is using mobile broadband services. More than 98 percent of villages have access to 4G services, taking the lead in the world. On June 6, 2019, 5G services entered the market in China. My friends living in the rural area of China are just a video call away from me.
2020 is a year of milestone significance for the Chinese people. Despite the challenges brought by COVID-19, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, we will lift all rural residents living below the current poverty line out of poverty within this year, thereby meeting the target of eradicating extreme poverty set out in UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ahead of schedule.
We have every confidence in the great resilience and enormous potential of the Chinese economy as it has registered a 3.2 growth in the second quarter this year. IMF forecasts put China as one of the few countries that will maintain positive growth in 2020. We hope our recovery and development will fuel common recovery and development of the world.
China’s achievement show that no country or nation are destined to be poor. China can end poverty, so can other developing countries. In the next articles, I would like to share the experience of China’s development and reveal the stories behind those achievements.