Key Priorities of the Healthy China Strategy Outlined in Xi Jinping's Report to the 19th CPC National Congress

The opening session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held at 9:00 a.m. on October 18, 2017, in the Great Hall of the People. Xi Jinping delivered a report to the 19th National Congress on behalf of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Xi Jinping pointed out that the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was a meeting of great importance, held at a crucial time when China was in the decisive stage of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and socialism with Chinese characteristics had entered a new era.

Theme of the Conference:Stay true to our original aspiration and keep our mission firmly in mind, hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, secure a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, strive for the great success of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, and work tirelessly to realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

On the health sector, Xi Jinping stated:

We have thoroughly implemented the people-centered development philosophy, with a large number of initiatives to improve public welfare put into effect, significantly enhancing people’s sense of gain. Decisive progress has been made in the fight against poverty: more than 60 million impoverished people have been lifted out of poverty on a stable basis, and the poverty incidence rate has dropped from 10.2% to below 4%. Education has seen all-around development, with education in central and western regions and rural areas markedly strengthened. Employment conditions have continued to improve, with an average annual increase of over 13 million new urban jobs.

The income growth of urban and rural residents has outpaced economic growth, and the middle-income group continues to expand. A social security system covering both urban and rural residents has been basically established, people’s health and healthcare standards have improved significantly, and the construction of affordable housing is advancing steadily.The social governance system has been further improved, the overall social situation has remained stable, and national security has been comprehensively strengthened.

In accordance with the requirements of establishing a safety net, weaving a dense coverage network, and building robust mechanisms, we will fully establish a multi-tiered social security system that covers all citizens, integrates urban and rural areas, features clear rights and responsibilities, provides appropriate levels of protection, and is sustainable. We will comprehensively implement the universal participation plan. We will improve the basic old-age insurance systems for urban employees and for urban and rural residents, and accelerate the achievement of national pooling for old-age insurance.Improve the unified basic medical insurance system for urban and rural residents and the critical illness insurance system. Improve the unemployment insurance and work-related injury insurance systems.Establish a unified national public service platform for social insurance.

Coordinate the urban-rural social assistance system and improve the minimum living guarantee system.Uphold the basic state policy of gender equality and safeguard the lawful rights and interests of women and children. Improve systems for social assistance, social welfare, charitable causes, and preferential treatment and placement, and strengthen the care service system for left-behind children, women, and the elderly in rural areas. Advance the cause of persons with disabilities and enhance rehabilitation services for them. Adhere to the principle that housing is for living in, not for speculation, accelerate the establishment of a housing system featuring multi-entity supply, multi-channel support, and simultaneous development of rental and purchase markets, so that all people have access to adequate housing.

Uphold the principle of prevention first, deeply carry out the Patriotic Health Campaign, advocate healthy and civilized lifestyles, and prevent and control major diseases. Implement a food safety strategy to ensure that people can eat with confidence.

1. Improve national health policies and provide comprehensive, full-lifecycle health services to the public;

2. Deepen the reform of the medical and health care system, comprehensively establish a basic medical and health care system with Chinese characteristics, a medical security system, and a high-quality and efficient medical and health care service system, and improve the modern hospital management system;

3. Strengthen the primary healthcare service system and the workforce of general practitioners;

4. Completely eliminate the practice of subsidizing healthcare with drug profits, and improve the drug supply guarantee system;

5. Uphold equal emphasis on traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, and carry forward and develop the cause of traditional Chinese medicine. Support social forces in establishing medical institutions and promote the development of the health industry;

6. Promote the coordination of fertility policies with related economic and social policies, and strengthen research on population development strategies. Actively respond to population aging by establishing a policy framework and social environment that supports elderly care, filial piety, and respect for the elderly.Promote the integration of medical and elderly care services, and accelerate the development of both public undertakings and industries for the aging population.

Xi Jinping pointed out that economic system reform must focus on improving the property rights system and market-based allocation of factors of production, so as to achieve effective incentives for property rights, free flow of factors of production, flexible price responses, fair and orderly competition, and survival of the fittest among enterprises.

 
We will improve the management systems for various types of state-owned assets, reform the system for authorizing the operation of state capital, accelerate the optimization of the layout, structural adjustment, and strategic reorganization of the state-owned economy, promote the preservation and appreciation of state-owned assets, strengthen, optimize, and expand state capital, and effectively prevent the loss of state-owned assets. We will deepen the reform of state-owned enterprises, develop the mixed-ownership economy, and cultivate world-class enterprises with global competitiveness.

Fully implement the negative list system for market access, abolish various regulations and practices that hinder a unified national market and fair competition, support the development of private enterprises, and stimulate the vitality of all types of market entities. Deepen reforms in commercial registration systems, break administrative monopolies, prevent market monopolies, accelerate market-based reforms in factor pricing, relax restrictions on market access in the service sector, and improve the regulatory framework for market supervision.

Innovate and improve macroeconomic regulation, leverage the strategic guidance role of national development plans, and strengthen the coordination mechanisms for fiscal, monetary, industrial, regional, and other economic policies. Improve the institutional frameworks and mechanisms to promote consumption, enhancing the foundational role of consumption in economic development. Deepen reforms of the investment and financing system, bringing into play the key role of investment in optimizing the supply structure. Accelerate the establishment of a modern fiscal system, building central-local fiscal relations characterized by clearly defined powers and responsibilities, coordinated financial resources, and balanced regional development.

Establish a comprehensive, standardized, and transparent budget system that is scientific in its standards and effective in its constraints, and fully implement performance-based management. Deepen the reform of the tax system and improve the local tax system. Deepen the reform of the financial system, enhance the capacity of financial services to support the real economy, increase the proportion of direct financing, and promote the healthy development of a multi-tiered capital market. Improve the dual-pillar regulatory framework comprising monetary policy and macroprudential policy, and deepen the market-oriented reforms of interest rates and exchange rates. Strengthen the financial regulatory system and hold the bottom line of preventing systemic financial risks.

Xi Jinping pointed out that China's economy has shifted from a stage of high-speed growth to one of high-quality development, and is currently in a critical period of transforming its development model, optimizing its economic structure, and switching its growth drivers. Building a modernized economic system is an urgent requirement for crossing this threshold and constitutes the strategic objective of China’s development.

We must adhere to the principle of prioritizing quality and efficiency, with supply-side structural reform as the main thread, to promote quality, efficiency, and dynamic changes in economic development, enhance total factor productivity, accelerate the development of an industrial system featuring coordinated growth of the real economy, technological innovation, modern finance, and human resources, and establish an economic system characterized by effective market mechanisms, vibrant micro-level entities, and well-calibrated macroeconomic regulation, thereby continuously strengthening China’s economic innovation and competitiveness.
 
Xi Jinping emphasized that in building a modernized economic system, we must focus on the real economy as the foundation for economic development, take improving the quality of the supply system as the main direction, and significantly enhance the advantages of China’s economic quality. We should accelerate the construction of a manufacturing powerhouse and speed up the development of advanced manufacturing industries.Promote the deep integration of the internet, big data, artificial intelligence, and the real economy, cultivate new growth points and generate new momentum in areas such as mid-to-high-end consumption, innovation-driven development, green and low-carbon initiatives, the sharing economy, modern supply chains, and human capital services. Support the optimization and upgrading of traditional industries, accelerate the development of modern service industries, and raise standards to align with international benchmarks.

Promote the upgrading of China’s industries toward the medium-to-high end of the global value chain, and cultivate several world-class advanced manufacturing clusters. Strengthen the development of infrastructure networks, including water conservancy, railways, highways, water transport, aviation, pipelines, power grids, information systems, and logistics. Adhere to the principles of reducing overcapacity, destocking, deleveraging, lowering costs, and addressing weaknesses; optimize the allocation of existing resources, expand the supply of high-quality incremental resources, and achieve a dynamic balance between supply and demand. Stimulate and protect entrepreneurship, encouraging more social entities to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship. Build a large workforce of knowledge-based, skilled, and innovative workers, promote the spirit of model workers and craftsmanship, and foster a social ethos that honors labor and a professional culture dedicated to excellence.

(Source: Xinhua News Agency)