More Poverty!!!

On Oct. 19 the Central Committee of China's ruling Communist Party approved a document called "Decision on Major issues Concerning the Advancement of Rural Reform and Development", which will take China into the next, irrevocable stage of its evolution into a fully capitalist economy, but it will also cause the biggest mass migration in history, collapsing the already fragile social balance of the country.
The reform passed 30 years ago, allowed millions of farmers to to farm their plots for a profit. This was viewed as the start of China's stunning economic boom. However, ownership of the land remained with he state, and farmers had to renew their licenses every 30 years. Selling was forbidden. Now, given the disparituy between urban and rural incomes and the rising unrest in the countryside, the Governent is allowing the trading of peasents' leases and extending terms beyond 30 years. This frees up hundreds of millions of rural Chinese, already treated as second class citizens, to head for the big city, seeking their piece of the Chinese Dream.

(source: Time Magazine, Nov 3)