Re: GDP and grain production in China

[briand@xxxxxxxxxxx (Brian Carnell)]

On Mon, 22 Apr 1996 21:09:29 -0400, Rubyg580@xxxxxxx wrote:

>In a message dated 96-04-22 04:13:25 EDT, you write:

>I'll comment on it too.  What does "GDP per capita" mean?  It means all
>the wealth produced in the country, divided by all the people in the country.
>
>So you come out with what looks like a decent per capita income.  Only,
>that division is only statistical, only on paper.

Really.  Would you like to come up with a statistical measure that
more accurately reveals the state of the wealth in China?

You do realize that of course any increased in the GDP must of course
largely be spent to be enjoyed.  Now it is my understanding that
Chinese businessmen are highly restricted by the Chinese government in
where they can invest or spend their money abroad...so either no one
in China is actually spending any of this money or the Chinese
government itself is approving of some sort of capital flight.  Any
ideas which?

Or could it be that an increased in per capita GDP generally benefits
everyone (I assume since you claim the increase in per capita GDP was
a bad thing, that you would welcome a *decrease* in per capita GDP).

>In real life, where it counts, the vast majority of the wealth produced goes
>not to the people who produce it but to those who own the means of
>production:  In China's case, all the imperialist exploiters who have been
>invited in by the new capitalist regime, and the Chinese bourgeoisie who
>cooperate with the imperialists.  Just like every other oppressed third
>world country.

Really.  If you were a poor farmer where would you rather live --
China or Taiwan?  Where do you think you'd be more oppressed?

>And while GDP is going up, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer,
>grain production has slowed to below the rate of population growth.

Where'd you get this figure?  Since the 1970s grain production in
China has regularly outstripped population growth.  If you've got some
real figures I'd be very interested in seeing them (or are you merely
referring to that erroneous PRC report on grain production?)



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Brian Carnell                   http://www.net-link.net/~briand/
briand@xxxxxxxxxxx


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