From the chinese press

Not a middle-income nation

The blue book on industrial competitiveness, released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) on Dec 12, says China has become a middle-income country, according to the World Bank. The bank says that countries with per capita income between $3,856 and $11,905 are in the middle-income group, though they have to improve industrial competitiveness to raise their overall national income level because they face weakening economic growth, says an article in Guangzhou Daily. Excerpts:

State Statistics Bureau data show that China's per capita income is $4,377. Irrespective of whether the statistics present China's actual economic strength, there is a difference between national per capita income and general per capita income - the former includes incomes of enterprises and governments, while the latter comprises only citizens' personal income.