From renovating old neighborhoods to expanding elderly care and boosting employment subsidies, China has reinforced its commitment to its people-first modernization policies with a series of measures aimed at solving the most pressing difficulties faced by the population in 2025.
Throughout 2025, improvements in daily life have been visible in communities across the country, with over 25,000 old neighborhoods renovated, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. In urban communities and rural areas, 11,000 new assisted dining spots opened, offering 3 million elderly people affordable meals near their homes. More than 3,400 small-scale "pocket parks" were built across the country with over 19,000 hectares of new lawns opened to the public.
In 2025, central government data shows increased financial support for public welfare, with the national budget for education rising by 6.1 percent, and the budget for social security and employment up by 5.9 percent.
To support livelihoods, the central government says it allocated 66.74 billion yuan (about 9.45 billion U.S. dollars) in employment subsidies, focusing on large-scale vocational training for key industries and groups. A total of 11.42 million new jobs were created in China's cities between January and October, keeping the employment situation generally stable.
In 2025, China has focused on combining "investment in people" with "investment in things", rolling out more financial resources to create a positive cycle involving economic development and improvements in people's livelihood.
"This vividly reflects the sense of responsibility of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in upholding the principle of putting the people first. This approach to resource allocation closely matches the most pressing and concrete interests of the people, while promoting mutual reinforcement between social security and socioeconomic development to achieve development that benefits the people and vice versa," said Liu Xu, director of the Social Development Institute at the Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research.
Elderly care services have also been a focus of government efforts in 2025. In Changsha City, in central China's Hunan Province, a smart platform now connects seniors with over 1,100 providers to allow older residents to book a range of convenient services online.
Young families are also being supported, with the country adding 660,000 inclusive childcare spots and introducing childcare subsidies. The policy to waive childcare and education fees for one year of preschool benefited approximately 12 million people by the fall semester this year.
"Under the national policy, we can get a 500-yuan (about 70.8 U.S. dollars) reduction in tuition each month, which saves me about 5,000 yuan a year. I feel very satisfied and really happy," said Sun Fan, a resident of Lianyungang in east China's Jiangsu Province.
Resources have also been channeled into quality education in regions with lower educational standards. In 2025, more than 1,000 public high schools have been newly built, renovated or expanded. Enrollment quotas for these schools have been increased for rural areas, while several provinces in central and western China have received additional higher-education resources.
Healthcare services are also being adapted to ensure high-quality care is available closer to population centers. In more than 310 prefecture-level cities, over 200 types of medical tests and examinations are now available and 125 national regional medical centers have provided care to about 4 million patients through telemedicine, outreach consultations and paired assistance to bring high-quality medical services closer to local communities.
Also, in 2025, support for vulnerable groups has also been strengthened. The central government arranged 156.68 billion yuan (about 22.18 billion U.S. dollars) in subsidies to guarantee basic living needs for people facing difficulties due to disasters or serious illness.
In 2025, social security provision for more than 84 million people in new forms of employment has been steadily improved. Pilot programs for occupational injury insurance have also been expanded to 17 new provinces.
China's targeted social policies deliver tangible gains in 2025
