China to improve market access system and put consumption promotion at more prominent position: Top economic planner
Photo taken on July 31, 2024 shows wind turbine blades at the Penglai Port in Yantai, east China's Shandong Province. [Photo by Tang Ke/China News Service]
China will promote the introduction of guidelines on improving the market access system and publish a new version of the market access negative list in the future, Zhao Chenxin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) told a press conference on August 1, 2024.
The NDRC will introduce a batch of special measures to relax market access, Zhao said, adding that it will explore further relaxation of market access nationwide and provide a broader development space for various business entities.
In the meantime, it will formulate guidelines for the construction of a unified national market, with greater efforts to break down barriers and constraints such as local protectionism and market segmentation.
"Through these measures, we will continuously stimulate the intrinsic momentum and innovative vitality of the entire society, and inject a steady stream of momentum into the advancement of modernization with Chinese characteristics," Zhao said.
The country has the conditions, capabilities, confidence and determination to effectively achieve the growth targets for this year, Zhao added.
China will actively expand domestic demand and put consumption promotion at a more prominent position in the next step, Yuan Da, a senior official with the NDRC told the press conference.
The NDRC will launch efforts to boost consumption of major commodities such as automobiles and home appliances, and to improve and expand the quality and capacity of service consumption in education, elderly care, child care and domestic services, Yuan said.
Support will be given to the high-quality development of cultural and sports tourism, Yuan said, adding that continuous optimization of convenience measures for personnel exchanges will be made to make travel in China more convenient and comfortable for foreign visitors.
China encourages long-term basic medical insurance participation
A villager gets medicine through facial recognition at a health center in Yueshan Town, Bo'ai County, Jiaozuo City, central China's Henan Province, Aug. 18, 2024. [Photo by Cheng Quan/China News Service]
The General Office of China's State Council has released a set of guidelines for maintaining high-level participation in basic medical insurance program in the long term.
According to the guidelines, China will encourage people already covered by the basic medical insurance program, which has covered 1.33 billion, or over 95%, of its population at the end of 2023, to continue participating without quitting.
As stated in the guidelines, starting from 2025, people who have continuously participated in the basic medical insurance program for four years can receive an incentive for each additional year of further continuous participation, which is a yearly increase of no less than 1,000 yuan (140 U.S. dollars) of their maximum insurance payout limit for major illnesses.
From next year, people who participate in the basic medical insurance program but have not used any medical insurance fund reimbursements during the whole year can have the maximum payout limit for major illnesses increased by no less than 1,000 yuan in the following year.
The guidelines also state that from 2025, people who have once quit the basic medical insurance program will need to wait for at least three months after the insurance is resumed before they can use reimbursement again.
Fan Weidong, an official with the National Healthcare Security Administration, said at a press conference on August 1, 2024, that such policies are aimed at protecting the interests of all people participating in the basic medical insurance program and sustaining the stable operation of the medical insurance funds.
The guidelines were adopted at a State Council executive meeting in June.