China's wealth gap is widening, creating an "alarming" situation, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a report carried by state media Wednesday. Urban Chinese earned 3.2 times more than their rural counterparts. The gap is much wider at the top. Among urbanites, the wealthiest 10% had income 9.2 times greater than the bottom 10% in 2005, an increase, compared to 8.9 times in 2004. Among farmers, the top 10% earned 7.3 times more than the bottom 10% in 2005, compared to 6.9 in 2004. Salaries increased across the board for most, but migrant worker salaries remained low, at an average of US$100 a month. The director of the wage research center linked to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Su Hainan, said state-owned monopoly businesses added to the gap.
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