Escaping the income trap

With its per capita gross domestic product (GDP) rising to about 30,000 yuan ($4,500), China is at a critical point if it is to avoid the middle income trap and push living standards closer to those of rich economies.

Robust economic growth in 2010 has allowed China much of the wherewithal to underpin an encouraging rise in average income levels.

But if the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) is to become a cornerstone for sustainable and inclusive development in the coming decades, Chinese policymakers should seize the current momentum of sound income growth to enrich people as fast and fairly as possible.