Xi stresses high-quality, sustainable development of social security

A villager holding a social security card waits to register for a health check at the clinic of Yaragzi Village in Xihxu Township in Yecheng County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, May 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has stressed improving the social security system that covers the entire population and promoting high-quality and sustainable development of social security.

Xi made the remarks while presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Friday.

He urged efforts to intensify redistribution, strengthen mutual assistance, and have more people benefit from the social security system that will meet the multi-level and diversified demands of the people.

Improvements should also be made to have a sustainable multi-level social security system which shall cover the country's entire population, coordinate the needs from urban and rural areas and be fair and unified, so as to further promote the sustainable and high-quality development of the country's social security undertakings, Xi said.

Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee heard a report from an expert in the field and discussed related matters.

Xi reviewed China's progress on establishing social security system since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, emphasizing the leadership of the CPC and the institutional advantages of China's socialist society as well as the principles of putting the people first and pursuing common prosperity.

He urged summing up the experiences of previous successes and optimizing the country's social security system.

Although China has basically established a fully-functional social security system that covers the largest population in the world, the country still needs to attach great importance to and make practical improvements on the weak links of the system, as the principal contradiction in Chinese society has evolved and urbanization, population aging and employment diversification are speeding up, Xi said.

Social security is the most imminent and realistic issue the people care about, Xi said, making specific requirements on improving social security work during the 2021-2025 period.

In the new development stage, China should have a strategic vision and meet people's expectations for a high-quality life, and increase risk awareness to make proper judgments in advance on new development trends such as population aging and changes in labor force structures, Xi noted.

Stressing that reforms in the sphere of social security should be advanced in a more systematic, coordinated, and efficient manner, Xi urged efforts to accelerate the building of a multi-level and multi-pillar endowment insurance system to meet people's diverse demands.

While integrating social assistance in rural areas into the rural vitalization strategy, the country needs to improve elderly care services and social welfare for the physically challenged and orphans, Xi noted.

In terms of laws and regulations in social security, Xi called for efforts to push forward the development of social security under the rule of law and strengthen related legislation.

Xi also stressed the importance of improving social security governance by optimizing administration and improving the quality of service. China should summarize successful practices in COVID-19 prevention and control and improve social security emergency-response mechanisms against major risks.