Of course, if we count everything on a per capita basis, China is still a relatively poor nation. In terms of per capita GDP, China ranked 124th in the world in 2009. And if we think about China's rural areas, including certain areas in China's most developed provinces, China's rural areas and agriculture sectors are incredibly far behind the dynamic economic development of the last 30 years. This serves as a key and dramatic factor for explaining why China's domestic stimulus packages have not worked as expected in the countryside.

While students from privileged families spend generously on foreign brands, less affluent students from rural families strive to make ends meet by cutting consumption and taking part-time jobs. This is a living testament to China's widening gap between the rich and poor. How will such a phenomenon impact the next generation? Having succeeded in its previous 30 years of economic advancement and having survived the world economic recession, China now faces serious problems. Besides issues related to the widening disparity between rich and poor, unfair practices of civil rights continue to be potential seeds for social instability.

If China is perceived as rich, there is too much attention being paid to this idea. Without considering the many underlying undesirable aspects of being "rich," we will surely lose sight of what is important. China is still a developing nation.

Like the world, within China, there are developed regions (the east coast), developing regions (the northeast) and least developed regions (the west). China's richness should not be defined by how much wealth the Chinese treasury holds but by how well off the Chinese people are. China's economic power is not about how large the size of its GDP but about how high its per capita GDP. Similarly, "Chinese people" should include all Chinese people.

China's future is not dependent upon how often rich people shop in luxury stores but by how much confidence those students from rural areas have about their jobs and future families' lives. As we enter the 12th Five-Year Plan, questions about whether China is rich or poor have become less important to young Chinese. The real question is how fast the government can build a sound regime with rules, regulations and fairness to support the upcoming younger generation. Although building credibility and structuring fairness is not easy, it is the fundamental to China's future.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.ccgp-fushun.com/opinion/node_7075405.htm

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