China to subsidize vocational training for over 10 million people in 2026

China will subsidize vocational training for more than 10 million people this year and build a skills-training system that runs through people's entire careers, an official said Saturday.

Wang Xiaoping, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, outlined the country's vocational training plan at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress.

"At present, technological changes are advancing at an unprecedented pace, and skill renewal is accelerating. Learning has become an inevitable requirement of this era. We will build a lifelong vocational skills training system that covers the entire career process, tailored to the individualized needs of workers at different stages, striving to create a condition where everyone can study anywhere and anytime. We will carry out preparatory training and general skills training for newly emerging labor forces, apprenticeship training and on-the-job training for enterprise employees, and new skills training and entrepreneurship training for employees in job transfers," Wang said.

"This year, we will carry out large-scale vocational skills improvement training in depth, providing subsidized training for over 10 million people. It will focus on organizing specialized training for the low-altitude economy, new energy vehicles, artificial intelligence technology, and health care services, to better align with industries and serve employment," the minister said.

The 48th WorldSkills Competition is scheduled to be held in Shanghai from September 22 to 27 this year.

Noting that the WorldSkills Competition is the world's largest and most influential skills event, the minister said it has set the direction and trend for vocational skills development and played a significant role in promoting economic growth, technological progress, and talent cultivation since its inception in 1950.

"We will earnestly implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping to ‘present a WorldSkills Competition that is innovative and widely influential to the world’. With the theme of ‘Skills Change the World and Illuminate the Future’, we will present a splendid and successful event with high standards and quality. At the same time, taking the opportunity of holding the competition, we will pay more attention to investing in people and inspire more young people to illuminate their bright future with their skills," Wang said.

China to subsidize vocational training for over 10 million people in 2026

The 9.18 Historical Museum in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, has recently been presented with a batch of precious cultural relics and historical materials donated by a private collector on Chinese people's struggle against Japanese aggression, as this year marks the 95th anniversary of the September 18, 1931 Incident.

On the night of Sept. 18, 1931, the Japanese Kwantung Army bombed a section of the South Manchuria Railway near the Liutiao Lake on the northern outskirts of Shenyang, a city in northeast China.

The Japanese blamed Chinese troops for the act and used this as a pretext to attack Beidaying (the Great Northern Barracks), where the Chinese Northeast Army was garrisoned, and then bombarded Shenyang.

The September 18, 1931 Incident marked the start of China's war of resistance against Japanese aggression.

The collections donated to the museum include 14 pieces from Zhan Hongge, a collector of historical documents.

He donated domestic and foreign newspapers and periodicals published between 1931 and 1945, featuring historical materials about the September 18, 1931 Incident launched by Japanese militarists, Japan's military occupation of northeast China, the Northeastern Volunteer Righteous and Brave Fighters' and the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army's counterattack against the Japanese invaders, and Japan's announcement of unconditional surrender in 1945, as well as the bills issued in the period.

"This picture in the newspaper shows the Japanese Kwantung Army occupied Shenyang's Beiling. This is Zhang Xueliang's villa near Beiling. Besides Beidaying, they also invaded Jilin and occupied Changchun. These are the images recording the invasions," Zhan said.

The newspaper donated by Zhan also reflects how people in northeast China, under the influence of the Communist Party of China, established armed forces to fight Japanese invaders after the September 18, 1931 Incident.

"These two pieces of newspapers were part of the progressive publication 'Jiuwang Qingbao' (information on national salvation) at that time. The newspapers detailed some resistance of the volunteer army led by Zhao Shangzhi against the Japanese aggressor troops, covering some specific time points. It's helpful in future exhibitions for us to study these historical facts about the Northeast anti-Japanese United Army led by the Communist Party of China," said Tian Jing, a researcher at the museum.

Historical museum receives private collections about struggle against Japanese aggression