China's Top Political Advisory Body Convenes Session on Livelihoods and Common Prosperity

The Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference opened its 18th session in Beijing on August 25, focusing on safeguarding public welfare and advancing common prosperity. Top leaders, including advisory body chairman Wang Huning and Vice Premier He Lifeng, attended the opening meeting. Discussions emphasized key socioeconomic priorities for the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period, specifically targeting high-quality employment, income distribution reforms, enhanced social security systems, and high-quality real estate development.

The session provides an early window into China's strategic policy agenda for the 15th Five-Year Plan period. By bringing State Council leadership to address political advisors, Beijing is aligning consultative inputs with concrete governance priorities across employment, real estate stabilization, and social safety nets.

The Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) opened its 18th session on the morning of August 25 in Beijing, convening political advisors to consult on policies aimed at improving public welfare and advancing common prosperity, according to official reports from Xinhua. Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the opening meeting. Vice Premier He Lifeng, also a member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, delivered a report during the session. In his remarks, He stressed the necessity of implementing central leadership guidelines, the deployments of the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan. He identified several focal tasks for social development work, including promoting high-quality and full employment, reforming the income distribution system, improving the social security network, advancing high-quality development in the real estate sector, and steadily equalizing basic public services. Shi Taifeng, a member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and vice chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, presided over the opening. Shi stated that making solid progress toward common prosperity constitutes an overarching requirement guiding socioeconomic development throughout the 15th Five-Year Plan period. He urged committee members to focus their consultations and proposals on strategic planning and major public concerns to support Chinese modernization. The opening meeting also heard a report on the work of the CPPCC National Committee during the first half of 2026, presented by the Chairperson's Council, alongside presentations on related agenda items by CPPCC Vice Chairman and Secretary-General Wang Dongfeng and other officials.