Is the wealth gap widening?

The wealth gap in China is wide. And the consensus is that it is widening further. But is it?

"Maybe not," says Cai Fang, director of the Institute of Population and Labor Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He says the increase and expansion in subsistence allowance, better minimum wages and other poverty alleviation measures show that is not the case.

Cai's views have already sparked a heated debate on the Internet, with many netizens challenging his contention. They say there are more than enough indications in society today to show that the wealth gap is widening, and the government should take steps to narrow it.