ILO, China and EU convene to set 2025 agenda for advancing universal social protection in China

BEIJING (ILO News) –The International Labour Office (ILO), together with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) of China and social partners in China as well as the European Union (EU), successfully organized the second Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting for the Project on Improving China’s Institutional Capacity towards Universal Social Protection (Phase 2) on 21 January 2025 in Beijing, hosted by the Chinese Academy of Labour and Social Security (CALSS). The Project is funded by the EU.

Social protection should be seen as a form of productive investment into our people…. the European Union, its Member States and China can share their experiences and approaches in addressing challenges of accessibility, adequacy and sustainability of their social protection systems.

Ellen KELLY, Head of Cooperation and Development Counsellor, EU Delegation to China

China, the European Union, and the International Labour Organization have a strong partnership in social security. China values learning from the EU and other countries in social security governance and is ready to share its people-centered approaches to improving livelihoods.

JIANG Wei, Deputy Director-General, International Cooperation Department, MOHRSS

We look forward to achieving equally fruitful results in 2025. Our aim is to improve the coverage and adequacy of China's social protection system, in line with China's social security strategies and international labour standards.

Changhee LEE, Director, ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia

PSC members reviewed the project progress and results achieved in 2024 and discussed and endorsed the work plan for 2025, the last year of implementation of the current second phase of the project. Besides the MOHRSS, the EU and the ILO, PSC members also include representatives from All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) and China Enterprise Confederation (CEC). At the meeting, MO Rong, President of CALSS and Martin ORTH, International Relations Officer of Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission shared the latest social security policy developments in China and the EU respectively.

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