Eighteenth Party Congress marks leadership and policy transition

The plan proposed faster household consumption, improved social services, innovation and lower dependence on exports and investment. It acknowledged structural imbalances but left the mechanisms and...

The 2011-2015 plan formalized goals for income growth, services, urbanization and environmental limits. It continued planning as a central instrument while calling for a more consumption-oriented...

The national framework became operative, setting rules for enrollment and benefits across several insurance branches. It represented a major institutional expansion, though migrant workers and...

The lower target signaled greater acceptance that growth should be moderated and rebalanced. It reflected concerns about inflation, investment dependence and global uncertainty, while the...

The pilot authorized local experimentation in private finance, lending and cross-border investment. It responded to the credit needs of small firms often underserved by formal banks, while seeking...

The leadership transition closed the period covered here. China had entered global trade deeply and expanded state capacity, but faced unresolved challenges in household demand, labor rights, social...

The zone tested investment, trade, finance and administrative changes through a geographically bounded pilot. It extended China’s strategy of selective opening: market access was expanded in a...

The Third Plenum’s decision called for the market to play a “decisive” role in resource allocation while affirming the state’s larger role. This mixed formula framed the decade: market mechanisms...

A reform of registered-capital rules lowered some entry barriers for new firms by moving away from a universal paid-in-capital requirement. Easier registration could widen entrepreneurial access,...

The State Council called for easing hukou barriers in smaller cities and improving access to basic services for migrants. The reform addressed a labor system that depended on migrant work while...