The Chinese Government has announced fresh guidelines (Opinion on further improvement of the protection and quality of life of the population) to address urgent problems for citizens, specified as access to education, healthcare, childcare and the aged and social security. The document, published on 9 June, emphasizes social justice, the balance of public services, their universality and accessibility.
The paper is based on 4 pillars and 10 concrete actionswhich focus on:
- Social justice – e.g. the extension of insurance to non-standard workers (which means non-statutory and alleged "migrating workers").
- Balance of public services – destruct the inequality between cities and villages.
- Universality of basic services – education, wellness care, daycare, nursing homes.
- Accessibility of ancillary services – e.g. support for migrant workers or older people.
Flag initiatives
Objective 8080 for childcare and seniors:
- 80% of beds in fresh nursing homes to be adapted to care needs.
- 80% of large cities to gain access to nurseries By 2035. ‘嵌入式托育’ – care built into the estates).
Education and health:
- Construction new schools and increase the place at universities. The government plans to increase the number of high-quality primary and secondary schools and grow access to renowned universities.
- Reforms are intended to improve the quality of wellness services, especially in smaller cities and agrarian regions. Integration of telemedicine (e.g. Ping An Good Doctor) into the insurance system.
Digitisation and dissemination of social assistance:
- Algorithms AI for the automatic grant of benefits (e.g. system) ‘City Brain’ in Hangzhou).
- Social insurance covers "non-standard workers": digital platforms, migrant workers, self-employed.
- Administrative barriers, specified as the request to registry for insurance, will be removed.
Demographic and social context
Reforms are the answer to:
- Population ageing (30% of Chinese will be over 60 by 2035).
- Birth decline (in 2024 the fertility rate was 1,09).
- Needs of migrants or migrant workers (300 million people without local hukou to gain access to services in cities).
- New employment – Gyg-economic workers (e.g. couriers, drivers) frequently do not have insurance.
Financing and implementation
Budget 2025:
- 4.5 trillion yuan (about PLN 2.5 trillion) for education and social assistance – 6% increase compared to 2024.
The function of technology companies:
- Alibaba, Tencent, Huawei to support digitalisation of services (e.g. e-learning, telemedicine, elder care).
Division of duties:
- Central government coordinate the strategy.
- Local authorities adapt reforms to regional conditions (rule ‘一城一策’ “One city, 1 policy”).
Challenges and controversy
- Regional inequalities – rich provinces (e.g. Guangdong) implement reforms faster than poorer (e.g. Gansu).
- Data privacy – integration of social systems with Social Credit I'm afraid.
- Technological constraints – older people may have difficulty utilizing digital services.
China joins central planning with local flexibility and technologiesto make "Social safety Network" to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The reforms are ambitious, but their success will depend on:
- Effective financing Poorer regions.
- Balance between efficiency and privacy Citizens.
- Enable delicate groups (immigrants, seniors) to the system.
Although the context of China and Poland varies, any challenges (e.g. ageing population, nursery care) are similar. Chinese solutions can be an interesting mention point for discussion of social policy in the EU.
New Chinese reforms are responding to the expectations of citizens who request better healthcare, education and social security. Implementation of these changes will be crucial to the social stableness and further economical improvement of China.
Leszek B. Glass
Email: [email protected]
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