At a November 10, 2026, press briefing in Beijing, officials from China\u2019s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) outlined plans to adjust education resources, expand eldercare and childcare services, improve healthcare facilities and stabilize prices for essential goods, according to Xinhua.<\/p>\n
Huang Weiru, deputy director of the NDRC\u2019s Department of Social Development, said the populations of kindergarten, primary-school and junior-high-school-age children had peaked, while the populations of high-school and higher-education-age students were still growing.<\/p>\n
The commission plans to work with the Ministry of Education and other departments to reallocate surplus preschool and compulsory-education resources, including across schools and between urban and rural areas. It also plans to expand high-school places and undergraduate enrollment, and increase education resources in towns receiving school-age migrants. Huang said the measures would seek to raise the share of migrant children attending public schools and reduce education costs for their families.<\/p>\n
Huang said the commission would prioritize upgrading older eldercare facilities and expanding accessible eldercare and childcare services. Its plans include increasing the share of nursing-care beds in eldercare institutions to 73%<\/strong>, establishing childcare service centers across all prefecture-level areas, and making greater use of community spaces for daytime care and short-term respite services.<\/p>\n On healthcare, Huang said the commission would strengthen key township health centers, develop mobile medical services in remote and difficult areas, and continue hospital ward renovations, including accessibility improvements for older patients and people with disabilities.<\/p>\n Zhang Luqin, deputy director of the NDRC\u2019s Department of Price, said the commission would improve price monitoring and early warnings for essential goods during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Planned measures include maintaining support policies such as minimum purchase prices for rice and wheat, and strengthening coordination between producing and consuming regions.<\/p>\n Feng Yao, deputy director of the NDRC\u2019s Department of Regional Revitalization, said per-capita GDP and disposable income in counties designated as former revolutionary base areas had grown faster than the national averages during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. He said future support would focus on local industries, urbanization, infrastructure, public services and education, alongside measures set out in a 2026 policy document issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee\u2019s General Office and the State Council\u2019s General Office.<\/p>\nPrices and regional development<\/h3>\n