InPics | China to advance common prosperity for all during 15th Five-Year Plan period

For a country with 1.4 billion people, development cannot be measured by economic size alone. It must also prioritize people's well-being and happiness.

At the ongoing "two sessions" in Beijing, the strategic importance of ensuring public well-being has been underscored in both the government work report and the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which were submitted Thursday to the country's top legislature. The draft plan for the coming years highlights 20 key indicators for economic and social development, seven of which focus on employment, income, education, healthcare, elderly and childcare services, and life expectancy, reflecting a shift from basic provision toward higher-quality welfare.

The significance of such efforts can be seen in the stories of people like Nong Jiagui and Mikyi Tsomo, who have witnessed changes in education and healthcare at the grassroots level.

Nong Jiagui, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), attends a group interview ahead of the opening meeting of the fourth session of the 14th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Ahead of the opening meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday, Nong Jiagui, a deputy to the 14th NPC and a village teacher from Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province, shared with journalists how he had spent decades helping children from mountainous areas pursue further education and find jobs.

Nong Jiagui poses with his students at a primary school in Guangnan County, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 18, 2025. (Xinhua/Peng Yikai)

Mikyi Tsomo, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends a group interview ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fourth session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2026. (Xinhua/Cao Yiming)

Mikyi Tsomo, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and a professor at the University of Tibetan Medicine in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, has witnessed significant changes in local healthcare. During a group interview ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fourth session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee on Saturday, she said that the increased investment in primary public facilities and medical care, together with medical assistance programs in Xizang, had helped improve local healthcare services.

Mikyi Tsomo (L) examines a patient at the University of Tibetan Medicine in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, March 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

China made major new achievements over the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), according to the government work report. The people's well-being was elevated to a new level, the report said. Per capita disposable income increased at an average annual rate of 5.4 percent, a total of over 60 million urban jobs were created, and life expectancy reached 79.25 years.

People attend a New Year celebration event in Qilihe District of Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province, Dec. 31, 2025. (Photo by Hou Chonghui/Xinhua)

A dietitian introduces the knowledge on BMI and balanced diet to people at a community in Huzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 18, 2025. (Photo by Yi Fan/Xinhua)

A job seeker fills in personal information during a job fair held in Qingzhou City, east China's Shandong Province, Feb. 11, 2025. (Photo by Wang Jilin/Xinhua)

Graduates pose for a group photo with their teacher after the performance at Xinjiang Open University for Seniors in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 27, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

China now operates the world's largest education system, healthcare network, and social security framework, alongside an extensive urban housing support system. Yet demographic shifts, industrial transformation, and rising public expectations require continuous policy adaptation.

A medical worker takes care of a baby at a hospital in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province, Oct. 6, 2025. (Photo by Wang Chun/Xinhua)

Students participate in a relay race on the playground at Lafu Primary School in Dai-Lahu-Va Autonomous County of Menglian in Pu'er City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Sept. 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

Residents move to new homes at a resettlement community in Tonggu County, Yichun City, east China's Jiangxi Province, Jan. 15, 2025. (Photo by Zhou Liang/Xinhua)

Deliverywomen display handbooks on women's rights in Linyi, east China's Shandong Province, on March 7, 2025. (Photo by Zhang Chunlei/Xinhua)

The draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan also outlines major projects designed to address pressing public needs. Public services will reach deeper into communities, extend further into rural areas, and prioritize remote regions and disadvantaged groups, the draft says. Social safety nets will offer stronger protection for vulnerable populations, including children and people with disabilities.

An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 28, 2025 shows the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

A visitor tries an exoskeleton robot during the World Smart Industry Expo 2025 in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Sept. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

Zhu Junlin (2nd R) participates in a support activity for people with disabilities at a comprehensive service center for people with disabilities in Jiangbei New District of Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Nov. 25, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)