China to raise its poverty line

BEIJING - China says it will raise the poverty line by a big amount as part of its effort to spread the wealth more equally, according to Chinese media reports, but the public are not entirely convinced.

China set the current poverty level of 1,196 yuan ($176) per capita annually, in 2009, or about 6 times the amount of 1985, when the idea was first introduced in China.

Nonetheless, some people are saying the current standard fails to reflect the country's economic development and rising standard of living.