Shou Xiaoli:

Thank you, Mr. Han, for your introduction. Now the floor is open. Please identify your media outlet before raising questions. 

CCTV: 

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has been improving people's well-being to ensure that it is inclusive and meets their essential needs, and people have had a greater sense of gain. What achievements have been made in terms of promoting shared development and improving people's well-being? How should we meet people's new needs in a better way? Thank you.  

Hu Zucai:

Thank you for your questions. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has acted on the people-centered development philosophy, and on schedule, built a moderately prosperous society in all respects that reflects high standard and benefits all the Chinese people. Both the quality of people's lives and the society's shared development have seen historic and all-around improvement. The achievements can be summarized as "one historic resolution and three all-around achievements." 

First, we have brought about a historic resolution to the problem of absolute poverty in China. We declared victory in the critical battle against poverty, lifting 98.99 million rural poor people out of poverty. "Leaving no one behind" has become a signature achievement of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Following that, we have advanced the strategy of rural vitalization to consolidate the achievements in poverty alleviation. 

Second, living standards have improved in an all-round way. An average of over 13 million urban jobs were created each year. Per capita disposable income reached over 35,000 yuan, up 80% from 2012. Its growth has outpaced economic growth. The ratio of urban income to rural income per capita dropped to 2.5:1. The middle-income group has been expanding to more than 400 million people. The Engel coefficient, reflecting social quality and consumption upgrading, indicates that Chinese people enjoy wealthy lives, according to UN standards. China's vehicle density stood at 37 vehicles per 100 households, more than double the number in 2012. The housing conditions have improved markedly. A total of 39.61 million housing units were rebuilt in rundown urban areas, benefiting over 90 million residents. Renovation of old residential areas in cities benefited 20 million households. About 180 million moved to cities from the countryside to enjoy urban living and a higher quality of life. The Chinese people enjoy colorful and enriching cultural activities. Spending on culture, tourism, fitness, and recreation has become common. Chinese people have been showing a more confident mindset.

Third, all-round public services have become universal and inclusive. Over the past 10 years, historic progress has been made in education in rural areas, border areas with mainly ethnic minority populations, old revolutionary base areas, and areas that have been lifted out of poverty. The gaps between urban and rural areas, between regions, and between schools remarkably narrowed. The availability of compulsory education in China was higher than the average level in high-income countries. The gross enrollment rate of preschool education increased significantly to 88.1%. Higher education is becoming universal. The average number of years of schooling among the working-age population rose to 10.9. The public health services system has been strengthened in all aspects. We have a better preparedness for public health emergencies. The quality and efficiency of the basic public health services that offer benefits to all the people were enhanced. The multi-tiered medical care services were improved. The planning of national medical centers was accelerated. The construction of regional medical centers at the national and provincial levels was promoted nationwide. More than 85% of county hospitals are capable of providing services of Grade B hospitals. High-quality medical resources have played a leading role in driving the medical development of their surrounding areas, improving the services of community-level medical institutions. Full life-cycle health services have improved, and life expectancy in China rose to 77.9, leading the middle- and high-income countries. The infrastructure coverage in rural areas, such as roads, electricity supplies, mail, and communications services has expanded, and its services improved. Rural living environment has improved significantly. 

Forth, an all-round and tightly woven social safety net has been built. The number of people underwriting the basic old-age insurance reached 1.03 billion, a substantial increase compared to 790 million 10 years ago. Basic pension payments for retirees and minimum basic pension benefits for rural and urban non-working residents were both steadily raised. The number of people under the basic medical insurance system reached 1.36 billion, increasing from 540 million 10 years ago. The reimbursement rate of the basic medical insurance is being raised, and per capita government subsidies for rural and non-working urban residents' basic medical insurance rose from 240 yuan to 610 yuan, benefiting 1 billion urban and rural residents. We have strengthened the social safety net to meet people's essential needs and ensured that it provides support and assistance to everyone who needs it, especially urban and rural recipients of subsistence allowances, the disadvantaged groups, and low-income households. Meanwhile, subsistence allowances have been increased in step with economic growth.

We have made historic and all-round achievements in improving people's wellbeing over the past 10 years. However, we still need to remedy deficiencies and strengthen weak links in a bid to meet the people's growing needs for a better life. In the next step, we will continue to do everything within our capacity to ensure and improve people's wellbeing, focusing on resolving the most pressing difficulties and problems that are of great concern to the people, ensuring that public services are inclusive, meet essential needs, and ensure basic living standards for people in difficulty. We will steadily advance equalized access to basic public services, increase the income of people with a medium or low income, and provide greater support to areas in need of strengthening, key areas, and the disadvantaged groups. We will strive to ensure people enjoy a better quality of life amid high-quality development, take one step at a time, and work towards common prosperity. Thank you.

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