Since the beginning of the year, various regions have intensified their efforts to advance livelihood projects, meticulously implementing numerous practical measures to benefit the people. While improving people's well-being, these initiatives have injected strong momentum into the warm start of the economy. In Fuzhou, Fujian, 56 projects across 20 major categories are expected to be implemented this year, covering multiple areas such as education, public health, convenient transportation, and elderly care. In Donggang, Liaoning, the government plans to replace gas valves free of charge for elderly people over 65 living alone. In Jiangsu, building on the comprehensive and high-quality completion of 45 livelihood projects last year, this year's investment in people's livelihood continues to increase, focusing on ensuring the elderly are cared for, the sick receive medical treatment, and children are educated, thus enriching the "warmth" of development. Looking across the country, the heartwarming changes brought about by these livelihood projects are outlining a new landscape of people's livelihood development and supporting the "steady happiness" of countless families.
Chinese-style modernization prioritizes people's livelihood. Currently, there is much to be done in promoting development by improving people's well-being. For example, with economic and social development, the people's demands for a better life are constantly increasing. These demands range from basic necessities like food, clothing, housing, and transportation to education, healthcare, leisure, fitness, and elderly care, all of which are evolving. From small-scale elderly care services and children's education to large-scale urban renewal, renovation of old residential areas, and road and transportation infrastructure development, the workload related to people's livelihood is not only continuously increasing, but the quality requirements are also rising. The public's expectation for better housing is growing stronger, and young talent's desire for better employment is continuously increasing. Faced with strong demand, supply needs to quickly catch up, deeply cultivating "people's needs" to infuse economic and social development with more new warmth.
The pain points of people's livelihoods are precisely the starting point of development. Safeguarding and improving people's livelihoods is also an important prerequisite and foundation for effectively expanding domestic demand and forming a strong domestic market. In the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, there are countless tasks to be undertaken, but the key word "people's livelihoods" must be firmly grasped and implemented effectively. The Central Economic Work Conference proposed prioritizing people's livelihoods and striving to do more practical things for the people. How can people's livelihoods be truly improved? The key is to accurately respond to the needs of the people. Take consumption, for example; it is not only an economic issue but also a matter of people's livelihoods. In today's consumer market, after satisfying basic needs such as food, clothing, housing, and transportation, people are pursuing more cultural and entertainment experiences, service consumption, immersive experiences, and spiritual and cultural life; in terms of housing, there are also improved housing needs such as "trading in old for new" and "changing small for larger." To meet the people's new demands for service consumption, local governments should closely monitor changes in demand, directly address people's concerns such as living environment and public services, improve the quality of life, and also focus on the construction of economic infrastructure to further activate new growth points for consumption and investment.
Effective investment in people's livelihoods can create greater demand. As living standards improve, people's aspirations for a better life have largely shifted from "whether we have it" to "how good it is." In recent years, my country's health services and smart elderly care markets have been cultivated and expanded through service upgrades, leading to a continuous increase in people's sense of happiness and fulfillment. Practice has also proven that precise investment in people's livelihoods is actually laying a solid foundation for consumption and cultivating future markets. Looking ahead from this new starting point, in 2026, the "two new" policies (new infrastructure and new urbanization) will be improved in quality and efficiency, extending support to areas directly related to public safety and quality of life, such as elevator installation and elderly care services, providing direction for various regions. People's livelihood work is all-encompassing and requires effort in every aspect. Employment, in particular, is the foundation of people's livelihoods and the source of income. It is welcome to see fiscal funds being used in a coordinated manner from top to bottom, continuously increasing efforts in stabilizing and expanding employment and supporting entrepreneurship. Through the continuous implementation of tangible work, the "bottlenecks" in serving people's livelihoods are effectively removed, making pro-people measures more sustainable and economic development more internally driven.
The fundamental purpose of development is to benefit the people. The people's aspiration for a better life is our goal. Since the beginning of the new year, many regions have held their first meetings of the year, drawing up lists of livelihood issues and clarifying the main directions for the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan. Currently, economic and social development still faces many challenges. The impact of changes in the external environment is deepening, the contradiction between strong supply and weak demand is prominent, and there are numerous risks and hidden dangers in key areas. The more severe and complex the economic situation, the more we must focus on people's livelihood concerns, strengthen inclusive, basic, and safety-net-oriented livelihood construction, and weave a tight and solid social security network. Once we identify an opportunity, we must act decisively, focusing on achieving new results. By anchoring our goals, continuously focusing on shortcomings in people's livelihood, and constantly solving livelihood problems, we can achieve more "small but beautiful" results through more "small-scale" initiatives, making more of the people's "expectations" the "direction of the government." In this way, we can transform the enormous potential of development into tangible benefits for the people, opening up new growth points and growth poles for high-quality economic development. (Special Commentator for Litchi News/Zhou Jun)
