welfare

China’s welfare system originates from the early years of the Mao era, based on the Soviet socialist model designed to provide care and social security from cradle to grave. Today, the welfare system is contending with issues like rural-urban migration and the three child policy, writes Charlotte Middlehurst In recent years, Beijing has made the eradication of poverty one of its primary goals, giving rise to significant reforms to support …

Although a Maoist term, Xi Jinping’s ‘common prosperity’ has little in common with radical egalitarianism. The concrete policy proposals that we have seen to date — like those in Zhejiang’s Common Prosperity Polit Area — are relatively modest and below the standards of many modern welfare states, writes Torsten Weller China’s dramatic crackdown on the country’s tech firms is turning into a broader reform of the welfare system and a …

Beijing aims to eradicate rural poverty this year – but challenges lie ahead, writes Charlotte Middlehurst  When four siblings, aged between six and fourteen years old, committed joint suicide by drinking fertiliser in the village of Cizhou, south China, in 2015, the nation was horrified.  In a note, the eldest boy wrote that he had “dreamed of death,” an end to the years of suffering and neglect they had endured. …

Dexter Roberts lived in Beijing for more than two decades reporting on economics, business and politics for Bloomberg Businessweek. In his new book, The Myth of Chinese Capitalism: The Worker, the Factory, and the Future of the World, Roberts looks at what actually powers the Chinese economic machine. From the rural villages that supply the vast numbers of migrant workers to what this massive internal migration has meant for China’s …

An ageing population and a growth of AI means that the need for skills-based vocational training is on the rise in China, writes Tom Pattinson China’s rapidly ageing population brings about plenty of challenges and opportunities. As our report on elderly care shows there is a lot of scope for companies to help in the care sector and make the most of the gradual welfare reforms that will benefit the …

Following the Chinese government’s announcements to reduce the financial burden on the private sector, 27 local governments have reduced the mandatory contribution to the pension fund from 20 percent to 16 percent for local companies. Although this is good news for businesses, China is nonetheless facing increasing pressure to reform its pension system. With an aging population, local governments are confronted with rising costs for its senior citizens at the …

Professor Jane Duckett, Edward Caird Chair of Politics at the University of Glasgow, and Director of the Scottish Centre for China Research explains how, and why, China is aiming to improve its social services sector During the 21st century, measures to reduce poverty whilst improving healthcare, pensions and social services (including education and housing) have all moved up the policy agenda of the Chinese state. The Chinese Communist Party has …