China’s common prosperity drive for shared wealth to get fresh push as ‘strategic goal’ during party congress

Common prosperity is already included in the Communist Party constitution, but more emphasis is set be placed on the initiative during the 20th party congress

Senior party ideologist Han Baojiang says Beijing is trying to narrow various socioeconomic gaps following a recently published speech by President Xi Jinping

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Common prosperity also involves fairer access to better public services, including education, medical care and food. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 12:00am, 30 Sep 2022Updated: 12:30am, 30 Sep 2022

China is expected to increase its push for shared wealth as a key “strategic goal” during next month’s 20th party congress, a senior party ideologist said, amid growing anxiety over Beijing’s policies to tackle inequality.

Beijing’s top leadership will deliver a clearer and more detailed road map on the push for so-called common prosperity when the five-yearly party congress begins on October 16, said Han Baojiang, professor and director of the economics department at the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China.

“China will place a further emphasis on narrowing [various socioeconomic] gaps, which will become an important policy objective and strategic goal for us,” he said on Wednesday.

In August, a 2021 speech by President Xi Jinping was published by the Communist Party journal Qiushi which stressed that “promoting the common prosperity of all the people is not only a long-term but also a realistic task, which can neither be urgent nor wait, but must be placed in a more important position”.

Common prosperity is already included in the ruling Communist Party’s constitution, but the speech increased expectations that further emphasis will be placed on the initiative during the 20th party congress.