China's shared development brings everyone better life

BEIJING -- China's phenomenal economic transformation over the past decade features a substantial improvement in people's wellbeing, guided by a people-centered philosophy that aims to ensure development benefits all.

"We will do everything within our capacity to keep enhancing public services and resolve issues that are of common concern to the people," said a government work report submitted Saturday to the national legislature for deliberation.

Among a series of policies to improve people's livelihoods this year, China will support higher education in central and western regions, improve the treatment of illnesses including cancer, raise the basic pensions for retirees, develop public-interest childcare services, and build more government-subsidized housing.

The measures are reviewed and discussed at the ongoing "two sessions" in Beijing and development priorities will be mapped out.

"The life of the elderly has been better guaranteed as the pension has been rising continuously since 2005," said Si Fuchun, vice president of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, who is a deputy to the National People's Congress.

Xu Ziqiang, an emergency room doctor from Hunan Province, expects people's burden from medical expenses to drop further this year as the government plans to increase subsidies to basic medical insurance and basic public health services. Xu is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body.

China's determination to bring better lives to more people has been unwavering.

A monumental anti-poverty campaign was launched on a scale unseen anywhere in the world. The mission was successfully accomplished with nearly 100 million people lifted out of poverty in eight years since 2012.

More than 11 million new jobs were created each year during the 2012-2021 period. China's per capita disposable income hit 35,128 yuan (about 5,500 U.S. dollars) in 2021, more than double the level in 2012.

Development gaps have been reduced between wealthier and poorer areas, as well as between urban and rural regions.

China's middle-income group has increased from over 100 million in 2010 to more than 400 million in 2019, accounting for about 30 percent of the total population.

More energy has also been channeled to areas of public concern, including education, healthcare and social security, and remarkable achievements have been made over the past decade.

The completion rate of the free nine-year compulsory education was 95.4 percent in 2021, reaching the average of high-income countries. Basic health insurance covered over 1.3 billion people at the end of 2021, while basic pension insurance benefitted over 1 billion people. China has built over 80 million units of subsidized housing and homes for people relocated from shanty towns in the past decade.

After winning the anti-poverty fight and completing the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, China aims higher.

Tangible progress toward common prosperity has been listed as one of China's key long-term targets through 2035 when the country is expected to achieve basic modernization.

As the path is clear, what is needed is unremitting efforts and a resolute determination to fulfill the goal.

"We must act on the people-centered development philosophy and rely on the efforts of everyone to promote prosperity for all, so as to keep realizing the people's aspirations for a better life," read this year's government work report.