At a State Council study session on November 12, 2026, Premier Li Qiang called for further reform of China’s social security system, citing changes in population structure, technology and employment patterns. The remarks were reported on November 12, 2026; they did not announce new rules.
Li urged wider coverage of enterprise annuities, measures to make the individual pension system more attractive, support for commercial health insurance and a gradual rollout of long-term care insurance. He also called for better social security coverage for flexible workers and stronger protections for people in emerging forms of employment.
On public benefits, Li called for a steady increase in pension protection for urban and rural residents, improvements to unemployment insurance and social assistance, and stronger oversight of social security funds. He also urged implementation of nationwide pooling for employee pension insurance and progress toward provincial pooling of basic medical insurance.
The session was the State Council’s 22nd themed study meeting. Renmin University of China professor Zheng Gongcheng gave a presentation.
