I didn't read the article because I really don't care what NYT has to say about China.
I just want to say that welfare of not the solution to social inequality. On the contrary, welfare perpetuates inequality.
Under Xi Jinping, China has tackled and is still tackling three major issues, all of which were caused by the proliferation of Capitalism in the past 30 years.
First, corruption. This is Xi's first and most successful campaign to date, and paves the way for China to tackle the other two issues.
Second is environmental degradation. Tackling this issue means tightening up environmental regulations, which requires officials who are resistant to corruption. This is the first step toward reducing social inequality by giving back to people their health.
The third issue is social inequality. China's first success is the elimination of absolute poverty. We are also seeing stronger oversight of large Chinese corporations as demonstrated by Ant Financial and Didi. We will continue to see a series of such measures designed to curb the power of Chinese capitalists and protect the interests of the people.
In many ways, the curbing of capitalist influences in China would not have been possible without the hostility of the US. This hostility has two effects: first, it severely restricted business opportunities of Chinese corporations in the West, thereby making them much more reliant on the good will of the domestic market. Second, it created a sense of common purpose among the Chinese populace and any perceived attack on or betrayal of Chinese national interests are now seen as intolerable. Chinese consumers can and will exercise collective power to punish businesses that attempt to profit at the expense of the nation.
