As China pushes on to eradicate poverty, Britain's social safety net holds lessons

Having spent both serious and enjoyable moments in Buckingham Palace, No 10 Downing Street, a countryside pub and Manchester City's football ground during his state visit to the United Kingdom, President Xi Jinping sat with other top decision-makers debating the draft of China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) from Oct 26 to 29.

During the four-day closed-door brainstorming sessions, a plan was drawn up to serve as a road map for the next five years with the aim of realizing a moderately well-off society by 2020.

Many deals were struck during Xi's visit to the UK. An agreement was signed for China to invest in a new nuclear power station to be built in the UK and in a high-speed railway between London and Manchester; these will certainly help boost confidence that China can export its high-tech know-how and capital.

With China's carmakers supplying the new more environmentally friendly black taxis and red buses running on London streets, this country has good reason to take it as a springboard to enter other markets with its new energy vehicles.

And with China and the UK committed to extending collaboration in the financial sector, there will be further efforts to internationalize the renminbi, to help push its inclusion in the International Monetary Fund's Special Drawing Rights basket of currencies.

These achievements are of strategic significance for China, which is building up its strengths as the world's second-largest economy.

However, I believe that as well as these solid achievements, Xi will also share with his colleagues the softer moments of his trip, the moments when he engaged with ordinary people.

The UK is still far more developed than China, which is seeking to double its per capita income by 2020 from its 2010 level. Even then, the per capita income of Chinese will still lag far behind that of Britons. Nonetheless, if it is not further dented by rising property prices, a doubling of income is meaningful. In fact, China could learn from Europe how to regulate the real estate market.

In addition to this income goal, China aims to build a moderately well-off society by 2020. Put simply, extreme poverty in China would be largely rooted out and people would enjoy a decent and happy life, with a cleaner environment, higher standards of education, more leisure, better welfare protections and lower inflation.

During Xi's visit, he learned about the social welfare system in the UK and how such a social safety net in return can offer incentives for economic growth.

Of course, China cannot provide the same standards of social welfare as those in the UK by 2020. But at least, China could learn more from the UK's about social compact.

Xi had an enjoyable time with the players at Manchester City and now China is striving to foster more competitive football players by introducing training courses in schools.

In fact, sport and leisure have emerged as new areas for investment, and this will improve the lives of ordinary Chinese as well. For instance, what if China could build at least five football pitches, five swimming pools, five museums and one theater in each of its nearly 3,000 counties?

Xi visited Imperial College London and Manchester University which, although they are not the most famous universities in the UK, have hosted many Chinese students. In return China should be well prepared to become a magnet for foreign students as its society becomes better off and the economy continues to grow.

To attract more foreign students, Xi and his colleagues should inject new vigor reforming China's education system.

The author is China Daily chief correspondent in Brussels. Contact the writer at fujing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/30/2015 page11)