China's State Council approved a Plan to Expand Consumption for the 15th
Five-Year Plan period, calling for a reasonable increase in public consumption
and higher public-service spending on education, healthcare and elderly care.
The plan directs optimization of the childcare subsidy system and the deeper
rollout of demonstration pilots for childcare-service subsidies. It also
mandates a universal basic public-health initiative and measures to improve
basic medical services, and instructs government procurement policies to support
SMEs.
