Official says common prosperity in China not egalitarianism

BEIJING -- Common prosperity China is pursuing means affluence shared by everyone, both in material and cultural terms, but not egalitarianism, a senior official said Thursday.

Han Wenxiu, an official with the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, made the remarks at a press conference while expounding on the topic of common prosperity which had been widely discussed.

China has completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. On that basis, efforts are needed to make a bigger pie that will be shared in a fairer way, Han said, stressing the need to promote high-quality development, raise the income of urban and rural residents, narrow the gap of income distribution, and prevent wealth polarization.

Hard work is the fundamental pathway to common prosperity, Han said.

"We allow some people to become well-off first, who then inspire and help the latecomers. We will not opt for a robbing-the-rich-for-the-poor approach," he said.

He stressed creating conditions that are more inclusive and fair for people to get better education and improve their development capabilities, as well as shaping a development environment that provides chances for more people to become wealthy.

The official called for efforts to make basic institutional arrangements on income distribution, featuring coordinated primary, secondary and tertiary distribution.

Tertiary distribution through the leverage such as taxation and social security will be conducted on the voluntary basis, he said, adding ways such as charitable donations should be encouraged to improve the income distribution structure.

Han highlighted the importance of being fully aware that achieving common prosperity will be a long-term, arduous and complicated task that needs to be promoted in a gradual and progressive manner.