Translation Category: Social Policy
The CCP Politburo holds “collective study sessions” on a semi-regular basis, in which an outside academic or government expert leads a discussion on a selected topic. Such sessions are important signals as to what issues the senior leadership finds important. The ninth collective study session of the 20th Central Committee Politburo was held on October 27, 2023 and was presided over by Xi Jinping. At this session, Xi delivered a speech to Party cadres where he emphasized the need to forge a strong sense of community and inter-ethnic unity among the Chinese population to build a “modernized socialist superpower.”
This decision unveils China’s three-child policy and supporting measures to combat population aging, which is framed as a serious challenge to the country’s future development. The change is contextualized as part of a broader policy agenda designed to improve the quality and affordability of childbirth and childcare services.
Cai Fang, a top Chinese economist, argues that China’s low fertility rate can be remedied with the right set of policy solutions. Cai recommends Beijing focus on policies that improve socio-economic development levels and promote gender equality, diagnosing these factors as key constraints on decisions around childbirth.
Chinese economist Yin Yanlin argues that while population decline and aging are inevitable, impacts on economic growth can be minimized. Reviewing strategies adopted by other aging nations, Yin recommends Beijing slow population decline and reduce its impact through financial incentives for childbirth, extension of the retirement age, improvements to elderly care services, and immigration reforms to attract high-skilled foreign talent.
In an interview with China Daily, Wang Pei’an of the China Family Planning Association, an organization affiliated with the Central Committee and State Council, laments the declining interest in marriage and children in today’s China. Among other policy changes, Wang emphasizes the need to promote a culture of shared child-rearing responsibilities across genders and generations, improve maternity leave and childcare systems, and feature family development more prominently in popular online media in order to address China’s declining birth rate.
The CCP Politburo holds “collective study sessions” on a semi-regular basis, in which an outside academic or government expert leads a discussion on a selected topic. Such sessions are important signals as to what issues the senior leadership finds important. The fifth study session of the 20th Central Committee Politburo was held on May 29, 2023 and was presided over by CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping. At this session, Xi urged Party cadres to improve the quality and coverage of China’s education ecosystem, in part given its centrality to greater science and technology “self-sufficiency.”
This article from the Vice President of the School of International Relations and Public Policy at Fudan University explores the shifting politics and values of China’s middle class, as well as its impact on overall society.
This article, written by the Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, highlights the centrality of the Party’s concept of “national security” in its efforts to govern its border regions.
The top administrative offices for the Party and state jointly issued this official Opinion with guiding principles and implementation tasks for preventing illegal activity, especially corruption.
As part of a larger campaign to eliminate corruption at all levels of government and build a “moderately prosperous society,” this document emphasizes that all Party members will be held accountable for helping eliminate criminals and other bad actors at the grassroots level, through strict supervision. This document details a (then) recent “Notice” issued jointly by the State Council and Central Committee. Notices are intended to provide guidance for provincial, industry, and business leaders and organizations on how to implement top-level instructions.