Report on China’s Draft Law to Expand Social Assistance Access

Introduction

China is advancing efforts to enhance its social assistance programs through a newly proposed draft law currently under review by the National People’s Congress. This initiative aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), by aiming to build a fairer and more inclusive social safety net.

Objectives of the Draft Law

• Expand coverage beyond current beneficiaries such as extremely poor households and minimum living allowance recipients.
• Include families slightly above the poverty threshold who struggle to meet essential expenses.
• Provide tailored assistance based on individual needs, covering basic living expenses, specialized social services, and emergency aid.

Scope of Assistance

The proposed support encompasses multiple critical areas:

1. Employment support
2. Housing assistance
3. Healthcare services
4. Educational opportunities

Legislative Details

• The draft law consists of 76 articles across seven chapters.
• Submitted for first reading at the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.

Challenges Addressed

Civil Affairs Minister Lu Zhiyuan highlighted current challenges in the social assistance system, including:

• Difficulties in coordination among departments
• Limited coverage of vulnerable populations
• Complicated application procedures
• Insufficient societal participation

Proposed Improvements to Enhance Efficiency and Accessibility

1. Coordination Mechanisms: County-level governments will establish coordinated processing systems to minimize repeated application visits.
2. Application Reception: Township-level governments and subdistrict offices will set up reception windows for prompt acceptance and referral of applications.
3. Streamlined Verification: County-level authorities will verify income and asset information, sharing results across departments to reduce redundancy.
4. Grassroots Monitoring: Local officials will monitor residents’ living conditions and provide assistance in accordance with the law.
5. Digitalization: Promotion of digitized social assistance data to enable dynamic monitoring of low-income groups.

Enhancing Public Participation and Collaboration

• Encourages involvement from citizens, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.
• Emphasizes government-society coordination.
• Allows government procurement of services to support social assistance programs.

Context and Significance

Since the introduction of interim social assistance measures in 2014, China has made significant progress in promoting social equity and stability. However, the absence of a comprehensive legal framework has limited the effectiveness of these efforts. The new draft law seeks to fill this gap, reinforcing China’s commitment to the SDGs by ensuring no one is left behind in social protection.

1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed or Connected

1. SDG 1: No Poverty – The article discusses expanding social assistance to families struggling to meet essential expenses, directly targeting poverty reduction.
2. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – The draft law includes support for healthcare services as part of social assistance.
3. SDG 4: Quality Education – Education support is mentioned as part of the specialized social services covered by assistance.
4. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Employment support is included in the assistance programs.
5. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – The law aims to build a fairer and more inclusive social safety net, addressing inequality issues.
6. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – The draft law promotes efficient governance, coordination, and public participation in social assistance.

2. Specific Targets Under Those SDGs

1. SDG 1 – Target 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and achieve substantial coverage of the poor and vulnerable.
2. SDG 3 – Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection and access to quality essential healthcare services.
3. SDG 4 – Target 4.1 & 4.3: Ensure that all children complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education; and increase access to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education.
4. SDG 8 – Target 8.5: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including young people and persons with disabilities.
5. SDG 10 – Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
6. SDG 16 – Target 16.6 & 16.7: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions; ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied to Measure Progress

• Coverage Rate of Social Assistance Programs: Implied by the expansion of beneficiaries beyond extremely poor households to include families struggling with essential expenses.
• Timeliness and Efficiency of Assistance Delivery: Measured by the establishment of coordinated processing mechanisms, reception windows, and streamlined verification processes.
• Access to Specialized Social Services: Indicators related to the provision of employment, housing, healthcare, and education support.
• Participation Rate of Society: Level of involvement from citizens, businesses, and nonprofit organizations in social assistance efforts.
• Digitization and Monitoring of Low-Income Groups: Use of digital data systems to dynamically monitor beneficiaries and assess living conditions.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets and Indicators

Source: mobile.chinadaily.com.cn