China is intensifying efforts to improve people's livelihoods, with the country's top economic regulator outlining a series of measures aimed at tackling pressing issues facing the public as the country progresses through its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period.
At the crux of the moves is a commitment to stabilizing prices of essential staples such as grains and edible oils, and expanding access to affordable eldercare and childcare services — priorities that officials and experts say will help ease household burdens, shore up consumer confidence and spur domestic demand.
"During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we will further improve the price regulation mechanism for essential livelihood goods, effectively carry out related work and ensure that people's livelihoods are safeguarded," said Zhang Luqin, deputy director of the Department of Price at the National Development and Reform Commission.
Zhang said at a news conference held by the NDRC on Tuesday that the country will make efforts to improve the monitoring and early-warning system, implement support policies such as minimum purchase prices for rice and wheat, and guide market expectations through better supply-demand analysis and information disclosure.
During the conference, Huang Weiru, deputy director of the NDRC's Department of Social Development, said solving pressing problems such as "eldercare worries and childcare difficulties" is the top priority of current and future efforts to safeguard and improve people's livelihoods.
Moving forward, Huang said the government will expand support through various funding channels. For eldercare, the focus will be on upgrading aging facilities, raising the proportion of nursing care beds in senior care institutions to 73 percent, and expanding combined medical and eldercare services. For childcare, the aim is to achieve full prefecture-level coverage of comprehensive childcare service centers, develop integrated childcare and kindergarten services, and encourage employers to provide childcare.
This year, the NDRC has allocated 14 billion yuan ($2.1 billion) in central budgetary investment to support new construction and expansion of eldercare and childcare facilities, creating more than 100,000 nursing care beds and over 30,000 childcare slots. Ultra-long-term special treasury bonds have also supported the renewal of about 110,000 pieces of equipment in public eldercare institutions, Huang said.
When it comes to the growing aging population, Huang said consumer demand is shifting from basic daily care toward health and wellness tourism, cultural entertainment, sports and senior education — which represents a clear upgrading trend.
To meet these needs, the NDRC will work with the Ministry of Civil Affairs and other departments to strengthen eldercare security and health support, expand quality products and services, and optimize the market environment, Huang added.
The government will promote"15-minute convenient living circles", encourage supermarkets to set up experience zones featuring elderly-related products and push e-commerce platforms to launch silver economy sections. It will also support more cultural performances, online audiovisual products, silver tourism trains and cruise products, high-quality residential eldercare destinations and senior education resources.
Wei Qijia, a researcher at the State Information Center, said the 15th Five-Year Plan calls for closely integrating livelihood improvement with consumption promotion.
"This is not only an important task for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, but also a key path to expanding domestic demand. The greater the intensity and scope of livelihood improvement, the better and more sustainable the effect of consumption promotion," Wei said.
Wei emphasized that the fundamental purpose of economic development is to continuously improve people's well-being, and that raising livelihood security is key to expanding consumption scale and capacity.
Looking forward, Japanese lifestyle retailer Muji, which has operated in the Chinese mainland for 21 years, remains optimistic about China's economic prospects and consumption potential as the country progresses in its 15th Five-Year Plan period.
"We have always been confident in the Chinese market," said Satoshi Shimizu, president and representative director of Muji. "Looking ahead, we hope to strengthen exchanges across markets, transform our locally developed expertise into capabilities that can be shared globally, and grow together with Chinese consumers and industry partners."
Zheng Yiran in Shanghai contributed to this story.
