China News Service:

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, people's livelihood needs have undergone many new changes. Could you please tell us how the country has addressed these new needs and expectations regarding people's livelihoods? Thank you.

Zheng Shanjie:

I'd like Mr. Zhou to answer this question.

Zhou Haibing:

Thank you for your question. Adhering to a people-centered approach and enhancing people's well-being is the starting point and ultimate goal of formulating and implementing each Five-Year Plan. The 14th Five-Year Plan outline proposed seven livelihood indicators, accounting for more than one-third of the plan's 20 main indicators, more than in any other previous plan. Guided by the implementation of the plan, we have continued to deepen institutional reforms in the social sector, successively rolling out impactful and heartwarming livelihood policies, and continuously enhancing people's sense of gain, happiness and security.

First, we consolidated the foundation of people's livelihoods by continuing to intensify efforts to stabilize employment and promote income growth. Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, more than 12 million new urban jobs have been created annually, providing a solid foundation for improving people's livelihoods. In 2024, the employment distribution across the primary, secondary and tertiary industries was 22.2%, 29% and 48.8%, respectively, with the service sector playing an increasingly significant role in job creation. The growth of residents' incomes has kept pace with economic growth, and the relative income gap between urban and rural areas has continued to narrow.

Second, we focused on people's livelihood needs and worked to ensure that public services and social security benefit everyone. China has established and continuously strengthened the world's largest education, health care and social security systems. The completion rate of nine-year compulsory education, as well as the coverage rates of basic pension and basic medical insurance, has remained steadily above 95%. In 2024, overall education attainment across all levels in China reached or exceeded the average level of middle- and high-income countries, and the average years of schooling for new entrants to the labor force market exceeded 14 years. The number of practicing physicians per thousand people has increased from 2.9 to 3.6. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we formulated, implemented and continuously updated national standards for basic public services, working to ensure that people have equitable access to 81 essential public service items.

Third, we responded to public expectations by stepping up efforts to resolve the most pressing issues and concerns that trouble people's daily lives. First-Class universities and disciplines of the world and high-quality regular high schools have continued to expand enrollment, providing greater access to quality education resources. Quality medical resources are being rapidly expanded and brought to local communities, creating a more balanced regional distribution. National regional medical centers are being built faster and having a greater impact, allowing more people in central and western regions to receive high-quality medical care close to home. A total of 402 new drugs have been added to the national medical insurance drug list, and cross-provincial settlement of medical insurance expenses has become more convenient. High-quality service systems for the elderly and children are being rapidly developed. The proportion of nursing care beds in elderly care institutions nationwide has risen to 64.6%. We have established comprehensive childcare service centers in more than 300 prefecture-level cities and populous counties to make childcare services more affordable and trustworthy for families.

Going forward, we will continue to put people's well-being at the heart of our efforts to ensure and improve people's livelihoods through development. We will focus on addressing people's most pressing needs and concerns. We will work to deliver practical, effective livelihood projects so that all share the benefits of development more fully and equitably. Thank you.