There are a lot of things the U.S. government doesn’t want you to know about China. They don’t want you to know that over 90% of households own their home, that the healthy life expectancy is four years longer than in the U.S., that the incarceration rate is 80% lower, that the Chinese people enjoy near-universal health insurance with doctor’s visits costing the equivalent of a cup of coffee… But one of the most significant things they have worked very, very hard to cover up is China’s highly successful poverty alleviation program.
Did you know that China has essentially eradicated extreme poverty? Over the last few decades, the government has managed to lift nearly 900 million people out of extreme poverty — something international institutions widely label the greatest poverty alleviation achievement in history. There are many reasons why China was able to accomplish this feat, one reason being that the government considers poverty a failure of the state, not of the individual. Meanwhile, in the U.S., homeless people are blamed for their own misfortunes — not the system that failed them.
Instead of attempting to learn from China’s success, the U.S. government has worked overtime to cover up the knowledge. Why? Because our system relies on poverty and the perpetual exploitation of labor so the top 1% can thrive. And of course, they don’t want you to know anything positive about China… they have a war to manufacture consent for, after all.
In 2019, when PBS released an unprecedented documentary (Voices from the Frontline: China’s War on Poverty) about the methods China used to lift the last 100 million people out of poverty, U.S. politicians forced the censorship of the film. It was shown just once, and then never again.
CODEPINK has repeatedly demanded that PBS de-censor the film so that we can learn from China’s achievements and use proven poverty alleviation strategies to combat global inequality— but PBS refuses to listen. That’s why we’re ramping up the campaign and targeting some of PBS’s top directors who have released films on global conflicts. Join us in writing to the directors and requesting that they demand PBS de-censor this important documentary.
In China, people are just starting to learn about the reality of poverty in the United States. They call it the “kill line,” which refers to the fragile margin of survival in the lives of most Americans, where one medical emergency, job loss, or unexpected expense can push a person into homelessness or permanent poverty. This precarious balance is a constant threat embedded in the structure of a society that prioritizes profit over people. One mistake, one illness, or one stroke of bad luck can place someone’s entire life in jeopardy.
And instead of investing in social programs that are desperately needed to aid struggling Americans, the U.S. government is pouring all its resources into military expansion and foreign intervention. Profit is consistently prioritized over public well-being, while force is used to manage social unrest. Just look to the ICE reign of terror and the large-scale militarization of our streets. These communities need social programs, not more violence. And then the government blames immigrants from countries that they have helped keep impoverished through sanctions, interventions, and war, just so they can continue pumping money into the military. It’s hypocrisy of the highest order.
You’re right to be mad, and you’re right to resist. We need to resist the militarization of our streets just as we need to resist the oceans of propaganda telling us there is nothing to learn from China. There is a lot to learn, from the vast network of high-speed rail, the investment in green energy technology, to the eradication of extreme poverty. And in order to learn, we need to stop the censorship of important information.
The simple fact is, China’s poverty alleviation success is nothing short of a miracle. And in today’s age of deepening global inequality, we cannot afford to continue ignoring methods proven capable of producing real, large-scale improvements in people’s lives. We must learn and demand better!
👉PBS Directors: Tell PBS to De-Censor the Documentary on China’s Poverty Alleviation Programs!
Peace and solidarity,
Megan, Jodie, and the CODEPINK Team
📝 Read Ignoring China’s Poverty Alleviation Success Will Cost Us All to learn more.
🎥 Don’t miss our webinar, The Kill Line: How China is Relearning Poverty in America, on Feb 11 @ 8pm ET! RSVP HERE!
