Poverty's fall/China's rise: Global convergence or new forms of uneven development?

This article critically assesses the relationship between the claimed fall in global poverty and the rise of China in recent years. It questions the mainstream pro-globalisation argument, which suggests that there is a causal link between neo-liberal, pro-globalisation policies, and falling poverty and rising China. It is argued instead that the evidence concerning poverty reduction is ambiguous, and it is not the case that the most successful developers have adopted pro-globalisation policies. This latter contention is examined through consideration of the relationship between Chinese development and globalisation, with particular emphasis on the transnationalisation of capital and the rise of global commodity chains, and how this has produced new forms of uneven development in the global economy.