Welfare China

: Building a Multi-layered Social Security System

Abstract

By realizing a moderately prosperous society in all respects and eradicating absolute poverty, China’s social security reached a major turning point in 2020. In 2021, Xi Jinping gave a lecture on social security, indicating the direction of China’s social security in the “post-2020” era. This lecture announced that China would stop seeking to catch up with the golden age of welfare state and seek its own path with “Chinese characteristics.” In academic circles, the concept of “welfare China” was proposed. This paper aims to clarify the content and characteristics of the “welfare China” concept that China is aiming for, while considering what the Chinese-style experiment means for social security in less developed countries.