Nearly 65m vaccinated

Almost 65 million people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Sunday, said Li Bin, deputy director of the National Health Commission, at a press conference on Monday.

China is implementing vaccination following an order of key groups, high-risk groups and other groups, to steadily improve the vaccine coverage.

Retirement age

The country will raise the statutory age for retirement in a gradual, flexible, and differentiated manner, according to a social security expert.

According to the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, China will take small steps to raise the retirement age.

It will also implement its flexibility, tailor policies for different groups, consider all factors, and make overall plans. Taking small steps means the country will raise the retirement age by a few months every year and finish the reform in several years, said Jin Weigang, head of the social security research institute under the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

Foreign investment

China will further cut the negative list for foreign investment and expand opening up of its service sector, Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday.

He made the remarks while meeting the press via video link after the closing of the fourth session of the 13th National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. A growing Chinese market with rising domestic demand will bring great opportunities for foreign products, services and investment, the premier said. He said a growth target of over 6 percent in 2021 is not low considering the size of the Chinese economy, and the target is set to guide expectations to consolidate economic recovery foundation and pursue high-quality development.

HK electoral system

The National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, on Thursday adopted a decision on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in a move to fix the loopholes in local governance.

The decision was passed by an overwhelming majority vote at the closing of the fourth session of the 13th NPC.(SD-Agencies)