China has significantly strengthened the social security system for its people, particularly vulnerable groups, including the impoverished, disabled, elderly and children in difficulty, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), said the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Friday.
At a press conference in Beijing on major achievements made during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, officials with the ministry said China has established a multi-tiered social assistance system that covers more people in need.
So far in the 2021-2025 period, subsistence allowance standards for urban and rural areas have increased by 19.6 percent and 21.3 percent respectively, benefiting 39.4 million low-income individuals, as well as 4.82 million others who have no ability to work, no source of livelihood, and no obligated supporters.
Lu Zhiyuan, Minister of Civil Affairs, told the press that China has kept improving its elderly care service system which meets its national conditions.
"In terms of elderly care services, China has fully established a basic elderly care service system and completed the top-level design for the reform and development of elderly care services. A unique elderly care service system tailored to the national conditions is being rapidly constructed, and the supply structure has kept improving. By the end of 2024, there were 406,000 elderly care institutions and facilities nationwide, with the proportion of nursing beds increasing from 48 percent in 2020 to 65.7 percent at present," said the minister.
During the five-year period, China has also accelerated the construction of its care and support service system for severely disabled people, and the national average standards of living subsidies for disabled people in difficulty and nursing subsidies for severely disabled people increased by 31.9 percent and 22.5 percent respectively. Regarding the protection of children in difficult circumstances, China has included de facto orphaned children, left-behind children, and migrant children into the scope of national protection and care services, and a comprehensive protection and care system covering all types of children in difficult circumstances has been initially established.
The basic living security standards for orphans in centralized care, orphans living in the community, and de facto orphaned children have increased by 26 percent, 32 percent and 31 percent, respectively, compared to 2020.
China improves social security for vulnerable groups in 2021-2025
China improves social security for vulnerable groups in 2021-2025
China improves social security for vulnerable groups in 2021-2025
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, said on Monday that the relationship between China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) stands at a new historical starting point.
Xi arrived in the DPRK capital of Pyongyang earlier on Monday to begin a two-day state visit at the invitation of Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, marking his first trip to the country in seven years.
Delivering a speech at a welcome banquet hosted by Kim, Xi pointed out that China and the DPRK, linked by mountains and rivers and sharing a common future, have seen their traditional friendship passed down across generations and grow ever stronger over time through the test of the evolving international landscape.
This year marks the 65th anniversary of the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, and the China-DPRK relationship stands at a new historical starting point, Xi said, noting that he has reached important consensus with Kim during his visit.
From the strategic perspective of the future and destiny of socialism, both leaders have agreed to seize the general trend of the times, respond to the shared aspirations of the two peoples, strengthen high-level exchanges, deepen strategic communication, expand practical cooperation, enhance people-to-people bonds, promote the high-level development of China-DPRK relations, jointly open up brighter prospects for the socialist cause of both countries, and contribute to the continuous progress of human society, Xi said.
The successful convening of the Ninth Congress of the WPK this year has made strategic plans and major arrangements for the long-term development of the Party and the country's cause, ushering in a new period of comprehensive development of the DPRK's socialist cause, Xi said.
As good neighbors, good friends and good comrades, the Chinese side sincerely wishes that, under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the WPK headed by General Secretary Kim, the DPRK people will successfully accomplish the goals and tasks set by the Ninth Congress of the WPK and make constant new achievements in the socialist cause of the DPRK, Xi said.
On behalf of the WPK, the government and the people of the DPRK, Kim extended the warmest welcome to Xi on his visit. Kim said that Pyongyang was filled with an atmosphere of friendship on this special day as the DPRK's Party, government and people warmly welcomed their most distinguished guest.
Noting that Xi's first overseas trip of the year had brought him to the DPRK, Kim said this fully demonstrated the great importance Xi attached to developing relations between the two parties and the two countries, and constituted the most valuable support for the DPRK's socialist cause.
Noting the meeting with Xi came nine months after their previous meeting, Kim said that during this meeting, they reached important consensus on further advancing DPRK-China relations with new contemporary connotations in light of new changing circumstances, and exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern, which will surely accelerate the development of the DPRK-China friendship with profound historical traditions, and contribute to peace and stability in the region and the world.
The DPRK people take heartfelt joy in the remarkable achievements made by the brotherly Chinese people, Kim said, expressing belief that under the leadership of the CPC with Xi at its core, the great Chinese people will surely create greater achievements in building a great modern socialist country in all respects, realizing the Second Centenary Goal, and completing the new journey toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Xi says China-DPRK ties stand at new historical starting point
