Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday presided over a State Council executive meeting that approved the State Council's key employment plan during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), along with a draft regulation aimed at boosting veterans' employment and entrepreneurship.
The meeting emphasized that China will pursue an employment-first strategy, expand and improve job quality, and achieve high-quality full employment. Key measures include improving employment services, broadening channels for young graduates, supporting vulnerable groups, promoting flexible and new forms of employment, and safeguarding workers' rights.
The country will also strengthen workforce development by better aligning education with market needs and expanding vocational skills training, according to the meeting.
The meeting underscored the need to seize opportunities from the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, with a focus on intelligent, green, and integrated development.
China will push forward the upgrading of traditional industries, the expansion of emerging industries, and the forward-looking planning of future industries, according to the meeting.
The meeting also called for encouraging more foreign investment into advanced manufacturing and productive service industries.
Efforts are needed to accelerate breakthroughs in core technologies while fostering more startups and 'unicorn' companies in future industries. To achieve high-quality and full employment, the government will expand vocational training and enhance support for key groups, including veterans, according to the meeting.
Chinese premier chairs State Council executive meeting on employment plan, future industries
China has stepped up financial and material support for disaster response as the country faces an unusually extreme weather season, with the central government allocating billions in relief funds and emergency supplies, a finance official said on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Finance is strengthening financial, personnel and material resources to support disaster prevention and response, said Xing Chaohong, deputy director of the Department of Natural Resources and Ecological Environment at the Ministry of Finance, at a press conference in Beijing.
"In 2026, the central government has reserved 20 billion yuan in natural disaster relief funds. Since the start of this year's flood season, the central government has activated the rapid fund allocation mechanism eight times, disbursing a total of 1.19 billion yuan to disaster-hit areas. In addition, the central government has arranged 14.5 billion yuan through channels including agricultural production disaster prevention and relief funds, water conservancy disaster relief funds, key transport project funds and central budget investment, to support the restoration of damaged water conservancy projects and post-disaster emergency recovery," Xing said.
The ministry is also strengthening the stockpile of emergency supplies for disaster relief, flood control and drought relief, and forest and grassland fire prevention. By mid-July, the value of stored supplies reached 3.418 billion yuan. Since the start of the year, authorities have dispatched 538,400 emergency supplies worth 145 million yuan to affected areas.
As the country enters the critical flood season from late July to early August, the ministry will strengthen coordination with emergency, water conservancy, agriculture, transport and other authorities to ensure that local regions can safely get through the flood season.
China bolsters disaster relief funding as extreme weather intensifies
