New stage for people's economic and social rights

In general, China has experienced three different stages in promoting and guaranteeing its citizens' economic and social rights; with the first stage starting from the founding of the new China in 1949 to the initiation of the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, during which the government took active measures to boost people's economic and social rights.

Due to the low level of economic development at that time, the government had to directly produce, provide and distribute related materials and services to meet people's basic economic and social needs.

The introduction of the reform and opening-up policy marked the start of the second stage in advancing people's economic and social rights, during which the government paid more respect to individuals' self-determination of their economic and social rights along with its efforts to build and develop a socialist market economy, and it extended to people a bigger space in which to exercise their right of self-determination. For example, people were given more freedom to choose their own jobs and hospitals for medical treatment. Citizens were also allowed to freely choose different types of commercial insurance.