"New social stratum" is a phrase used to describe 50 million
private entrepreneurs, small-business owners and managerial-level
staff in private or foreign-funded enterprises, a cluster of
individuals that have made important economic contributions to
China. A recent online survey conducted by China Youth
Daily and www.sina.com showed that although their
contributions attracted public praise, many think it too early to
determine whether these strata will have a permanent impact on
China's social structure.
Of the 1,643 people surveyed, 58.5 percent thought the
contribution was "very large" or "comparatively large." Chen
Xiqing, deputy head of the CPC's Central Committee's United Front
Work Department estimated that the members of this stratum oversee
or own capital worth 10 trillion yuan (US$1.3 trillion), employ a
workforce reaching 100 million, hold over half of the country's
technical patents, are jointly responsible for close to a third of
China's tax revenues and provide jobs for almost half of new
job-seekers each year.
The concept of specific "social strata" dates back to the 60s
when Chinese society was divided into five groups?-- farmers,
workers, intellectuals, cadres and soldiers, Chen interpreted this
from a modern setting saying that "the current new stratum's
members are mostly intellectuals and are disenfranchised from the
traditional strata."
These 50 million are mainly well-paid and involved in
non-state-owned sectors, Chen revealed, adding "most are not CPC
members, but they have a continuously growing political
awareness."
The results of the survey were as follows: 50.5 percent said
that although they did not belong to this stratum, they thought
highly of those who were, specifically that they had a high level
of knowledge (46.5 percent), stood up for their rights (46.3), had
enabled various reforms to have great benefits (43.2), are rich
(42.4), and represent a new productive force (41.5 percent). Only
40.6 percent expressed reservations about the group's social
function, since it lacked "a clear sense of jurisdiction."
Feng Shizheng, professor at Renmin University of China, said
this stratum appeared to be interchangeable with common
middle-classes at a cursory glance but that differences were
present. "The composition of this stratum is very complicated. The
portion of intellectuals is likely over-emphasized while that of
private entrepreneurs is often given a relatively low
importance."
Interestingly, while giving a high assessment of the stratum,
42.3 percent of those questioned would still sooner elect to work
in government agencies, due to long-standing apprehension about the
private sector.
The reason for this kind of belief is the immaturity of China's
market system, explained Prof. Feng. "Market operation in China is
still not sufficiently standardized and remains highly controlled
or strongly influenced by the state. As a result, employment in new
market sectors carries with it far greater risk than in government
agencies or institutions. People trust the state more than the
market."
(China.org.cn by Li Jingrong on June 22, 2007)