Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“‘So, who brought who out of poverty?’ asks Frank Dikötter about China’s economic rise. The Dutch historian and author of four excellent books on Chinese history … recently spoke at length with Peter Robinson, host of the Hoover Institution’s ‘Uncommon Knowledge’ podcast. Calling it ‘conventional wisdom,’ Robinson offers that ‘the number that I found over and over again was eight to 900 million people lifted out of poverty since Deng Xiaoping announce[d] his reforms in ’78.’ ‘That’s all propaganda,’ declares Dr. Dikötter. ‘The people in the countryside have lifted themselves out of poverty.'” (04/17/25)