Xinhua Insight on the Two Sessions | Spotlight on the “People’s Livelihood List” in the Government Work Report

The Government Work Report, submitted for deliberation on the 5th, proposes upholding a people-centered development philosophy, fulfilling the responsibilities of ensuring basic needs and setting a social safety net, adopting more measures that benefit the people and win their hearts, steadily advancing common prosperity, fostering social harmony and stability, and continuously enhancing the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security.

　　In this year’s Government Work Report, a series of measures addresses the diverse and multi‑tiered livelihood needs of various groups. By zeroing in on the report’s bold yet compassionate details, a comprehensive “livelihood checklist” comes into sharp focus.

   Employment: Strengthen policies and measures to promote youth employment, and expand the pilot program providing occupational injury protection for workers in new forms of employment.

　　Employment is the most fundamental aspect of people’s livelihood. This year’s key development targets include creating more than 12 million new urban jobs. The report notes that this year’s college graduates are expected to exceed 11.7 million, and calls for strengthening policies and measures to promote youth employment. It also proposes refining service and support mechanisms for flexible employment, and expanding pilot programs to provide occupational injury protection for workers in new forms of employment.

　　Jin Li, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and vice president of the Southern University of Science and Technology, stated that at present, overall employment pressure remains unabated, and structural imbalances persist. Building on the continued strengthening of policies to stabilize employment, this year’s measures have been refined to more effectively address these structural challenges. A series of targeted initiatives are being implemented to better align labor supply with demand, while greater efforts are being made to support employment among key groups such as college graduates and to safeguard the rights and interests of workers in new forms of employment, thereby contributing to high-quality, full‑employment.

   Education: Improve the operating conditions of rural boarding schools and promote inclusive development of preschool education.

　　The report proposes improving the operating conditions of rural boarding schools, continuing to deepen the “double reduction” policy, promoting inclusive development of preschool education, and strengthening the development of ordinary high schools at the county level. It also calls for piloting comprehensive reforms in higher education and vigorously advancing digital education.

　　Lan Zhen, a member of the CPPCC and Party Secretary of the Experimental Primary School in Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, has proposed strengthening and expanding the coverage of inclusive kindergartens, improving the per-student funding system for public kindergartens, and, through government procurement of services, extending free preschool education to more regions. She also called for accelerating the development of a public preschool education service system that covers both urban and rural areas, features rational planning, and is universally accessible and publicly beneficial.

　　Wang Xiaomei, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and vice principal of Qingshen Middle School in Meishan City, Sichuan Province, has proposed systematically advancing improvements to the teaching and living conditions of boarding schools, thereby ensuring the healthy growth and well-rounded development of rural students.

   Healthcare: Implement and refine out-of-town medical expense settlement, and promote mutual recognition of examination and test results.

　　The report proposes increasing the per capita government subsidy for resident medical insurance by 30 yuan. It also calls for improving the national centralized drug procurement system, implementing and refining out-of-town medical expense settlement, promoting mutual recognition of examination and test results, strengthening coordinated service delivery among county-, township-, and village-level healthcare facilities, and expanding the range of medications available at primary-level medical and health institutions for chronic and common diseases.

　　Wang Xiaopin, a member and former Party Secretary of Guang’anmen Hospital of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, stated that interprovincial medical insurance settlement has effectively addressed the difficulties faced by insured individuals when seeking treatment in another province—namely, having to travel back and forth and pay out-of-pocket upfront. He suggested that, going forward, policies for reimbursing medical expenses for complex and rare diseases should be coordinated; furthermore, continued support should be provided for the development of national and provincial regional medical centers to address disparities in healthcare resources, thereby reducing the need for patients to make multiple trips for both treatment and reimbursement.

　　“Mutual recognition of examination and test results among different medical institutions helps avoid redundant testing and resource waste,” said Fu Xiaoyun, deputy director of the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University. However, she added that certain bottlenecks still hinder the mutual acceptance of such results, underscoring the need to strengthen information‑technology infrastructure and further dismantle data silos.

   Pension: Implement a national individual pension system and vigorously develop the silver economy.

　　The report proposes raising the monthly minimum standard for basic old-age pensions for both urban and rural residents by 20 yuan, continuing to increase basic pensions for retirees, implementing a national individual pension system, strengthening efforts to address shortcomings in rural elderly care services, vigorously developing the silver economy, and advancing the establishment of a long-term care insurance system.

　　Since its launch in November 2022 across 36 cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, the individual pension scheme has to some extent met residents’ diversified retirement needs. Bai Tao, Chairman of China Life Insurance Group and a member of the CPPCC National Committee, proposed promptly summarizing lessons learned, appropriately raising the upper limit on contribution amounts, strengthening tax incentives, continuously enhancing product appeal, and boosting public participation.

  China has nearly 300 million older adults, and the diverse, differentiated, and personalized needs of this demographic are creating new opportunities for the development of the silver economy. According to Luo Yunfeng, Mayor of Hefei, the silver economy is broad in scope, features a long industrial chain, and encompasses a wide variety of business models; therefore, it should focus on cultivating promising sectors—such as smart health‑care for the elderly, rehabilitation assistive devices, elderly‑focused financial services, and senior tourism—based on the specific needs of the aging population.

   Reproductive Health: Optimize the maternity leave system and expand childcare services through multiple channels.

　　The report proposes to improve policies supporting childbirth, optimize the maternity‑leave system, refine a mechanism for the reasonable sharing of labor costs among employers, expand childcare services through multiple channels, and alleviate the financial burdens faced by families in having, raising, and educating children.

　　Yang ShanHong, Vice Mayor of Fuyang City in Anhui Province, proposed that, through measures such as cash subsidies, personal income tax deductions, and corporate income tax reductions, the costs of childbirth be reasonably shared among individuals, enterprises, and the government; that policies related to maternity leave and other benefits be effectively implemented; that the supply of childcare services be expanded and their quality improved; and that integrated early childhood education and care be actively promoted, establishing a diversified service network to genuinely alleviate young people’s concerns about having and raising children.

   Consumption: Actively cultivate new drivers of consumption growth and implement the paid vacation system.

　　The report proposes actively cultivating new drivers of consumption, including smart home technologies, cultural and entertainment tourism, sports events, and trendy domestic‑brand products. It also calls for expanding and improving the quality of services such as elderly care, childcare, and household assistance, while supporting social entities in delivering community‑based services. Furthermore, it emphasizes the full implementation of the paid‑leave system.

　　Qu Yongyi, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Party Secretary of the Institute of Industrial Economy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, stated that unleashing consumption potential and fostering steady growth in consumer spending will help strengthen the role of domestic demand in driving economic growth. The report’s comprehensive measures to expand consumption—spanning efforts to boost purchasing power, improve the consumption environment, enhance consumers’ willingness to spend, and optimize the consumption structure—are expected to further unlock the potential of China’s ultra-large-scale market and support a sustained recovery and improvement in economic performance.

   Environmental Protection: Strengthen the management of solid waste, emerging pollutants, and plastic pollution, and advance green transformations in industrial and energy structures.

　　The report proposes reducing energy consumption per unit of GDP by approximately 2.5 percent. It calls for strengthening the management of solid waste, emerging pollutants, and plastic pollution, and for launching three landmark campaigns under the “Three-North” Project. Efforts will be advanced to promote a green transformation of industrial structure, energy mix, transportation systems, and urban–rural development. The “Ten Major Actions for Peaking Carbon Emissions” will be implemented in a solid and systematic manner, and a carbon‑footprint management system will be established.

　　Wu Daisha, a member of the CPPCC and vice president of Pingxiang College in Jiangxi Province, stated that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” has become a broad societal consensus on green development. It is essential to coordinate and advance green, low-carbon development in key sectors while continuing to intensify efforts to combat pollution. In response to the report’s call to strengthen the management of emerging pollutants, Wu Daisha recommended fully and thoroughly implementing the environmental registration system for new chemical substances, raising public awareness of emerging‑pollutant management, and bolstering the development and promotion of alternative materials.

   Agriculture, Rural Areas, and Farmers: Appropriately raise the minimum procurement price for wheat and launch a province-wide pilot program to extend rural land contracts by another 30 years after their initial term expires.

　　The report proposes appropriately raising the minimum procurement price for wheat, implementing nationwide insurance policies to cover production costs and incomes for the three major staple crops, and improving mechanisms to safeguard grain farmers’ incomes. It also calls for launching a province-wide pilot program to extend rural land contracts by another 30 years following the expiration of the second round. Additionally, efforts will be stepped up to build charging stations, cold-chain logistics networks, and last-mile delivery infrastructure, while intensifying seismic retrofitting of rural housing.

　　Zhao Lixin, director of the Institute of Agricultural Environment and Sustainable Development at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, stated that the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas is intended to benefit agriculture, rural communities, and farmers. Launching a province-wide pilot program to extend land contracts for another 30 years after their initial term expires will help further bolster expectations and vitality in agricultural development. The report’s proposal to appropriately raise the minimum purchase price for wheat will help stabilize farmers’ income expectations and safeguard national food security.

   Housing: Meeting residents’ basic housing needs and diverse, quality‑of‑life‑enhancing housing demands.

　　The report proposes accelerating the establishment of a new model for real estate development. It calls for scaling up the construction and supply of affordable housing, refining the foundational institutional framework for market‑driven housing, and meeting both residents’ basic housing needs and their diverse demands for housing upgrades. The report also advocates steadily implementing urban renewal initiatives, advancing the development of dual‑use public infrastructure that serves both routine and emergency needs, and carrying out the transformation of urban villages. Furthermore, it emphasizes speeding up the improvement of underground utility networks, addressing challenges such as the installation of elevators in older residential communities and the provision of parking, and strengthening the development of barrier‑free and age‑friendly facilities.

　　Jing Puqiu, Chairman of the Shanxi Provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce and President of the Provincial General Chamber of Commerce, stated that the real estate policies outlined in the report both address the pressing needs of those with genuine housing demand and emphasize enhancing residential comfort, thereby helping to ensure the stable operation of the real estate market and accelerate its transformation. Recently, some cities have adjusted and refined their property‑market regulation measures in light of local conditions. He recommended that all regions continue to adopt city‑specific policies to support the release of both rigid and improvement‑type housing demand, thus helping people realize their dream of secure and comfortable homes. (Reporters: Shu Jing, Ren Qinqin, Wei Yukun, Lai Xing, Li Ziwei, Liu Meizi)

[Editor-in-charge: Wu Jingze]

Source: Xinhua Net