As tech mecca Zhejiang province sees wealth soar on the back of robotics, gaming and AI, Beijing hopes to avert a wide income disparity
The provincial government has mandated that by 2030, the gap between city and countryside incomes “keeps shrinking further” based on the progress achieved in the past five years, while both per capita gross domestic product and average income reach levels “close to” those in developed economies, according to a draft plan released this month.
Having long been one of the few places in the country where rural residents enjoy relatively strong living standards despite the national urban-rural divide, Zhejiang was designated as a demonstration zone in 2021 to pursue President Xi Jinping’s “common prosperity” goal.
