Social safety net expanded to help more

China will make greater efforts to secure the basic livelihoods of people in hardship and meet their basic living needs, according to a decision made at a State Council Executive Meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday.

It was noted at the meeting that due to the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters, the number of people in difficulty has increased. In the first half of this year, more than 120 billion yuan ($17.6 billion) in fiscal funds were spent on providing subsistence allowances and other subsidies across the nation, marking a 7 percent increase year-on-year.

"We always put the people first. At present, particularly in the face of COVID-19 and natural disasters, we must scale up assistance and support for people in difficulty and ensure their basic living needs," Li said.