China's five-year development targets focus on addressing people's concerns: official

The State Council Information Office (SCIO) holds a press briefing on the draft Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) in Beijing, capital of China, on March 7, 2026. (Xinhua/Pan Xu)

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Over one third of China's major development targets for the 2026-2030 period will focus on resolving the pressing difficulties and problems that concern the people most, an official told a press conference Saturday.

To tangibly improve the educational and health standards of the people, the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan sets targets to increase the average years of education for the working-age population, the average life expectancy, and the number of medical staff per 1,000 people, said Zheng Bei, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

China will strive to increase the share of nursing beds in elderly care institutions and provide more high-quality nursing services to address the needs of seniors with functional disabilities and dementia, she said.

Liu Dechun, an NDRC official in charge of social development, said at the press conference that the draft outline urged efforts to improve the childcare services and increase the rate of kindergarten enrollment of infants under the age of three by six percentage points.

To foster a more birth-friendly society, work will be done to expand the coverage of maternity insurance and fully implement parental leave, Liu said.