China provides basic living assistance to 50m people every year: ministry

BEIJING - Nearly 50 million people in need received basic living assistance every year in China since 2014, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA).

In addition, more than 10 million have received temporary assistance, according to the ministry.

The ministry also noted that the urban and rural subsistence allowances have increased by an annual average of 8.7 percent and 14 percent, respectively, in the past five years.

However, the problem of unbalanced and insufficient development of social assistance is still prominent at present, said the MCA.

According to a directive on reforming and improving the social assistance system, which was released by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, China aims to build a tiered and classified social assistance system with Chinese characteristics for both urban and rural areas over the next two years.

To this end, the MCA will actively develop social assistance services, as well as establish and improve the monitoring and early warning mechanism to provide timely assistance to those in need.

Besides, efforts will also be made to improve social assistance during major epidemics and other public emergencies, it added.