The European Union, the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) and the Chinese Academy of Labour and Social Security (CALSS) have renewed their mutual interest in cooperating in the field of social protection, during the Annual Steering Committee of the EU-funded project“Improving China’s Institutional Capacity towards Universal Social Protection” held in Beijing on 21 January 2025.

On behalf of the European Union, Ellen Kelly, Head of Cooperation and Development Counsellor at the EU Delegation to China, stated that“social protection should be seen as a form of productive investment into our people.” She also reiterated that the European Union, its Member States and China can share their experiences and approaches in addressing challenges of accessibility, adequacy and sustainability of their social protection systems.”

Jiang Wei, Deputy Director-General of the International Cooperation Department, at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) of China stressed that “China, the European Union, and the International Labour Organization have a strong partnership in social security. China values learning from the EU and other countries in social security governance and is pleased to share its people-centered approach to improving livelihoods.”

Representing ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia, Director Changhee Lee said that ILO looks forward to achieving equally fruitful results in 2025. ILO’s aim is to improve the coverage and adequacy of China's social protection system, in line with China's social security strategies and international labour standards.

Both parties agreed that the project will continue carrying out studies, technical seminars, international conferences and study tours to identify how social protection can effectively safeguard workers affected by climate change, ensure a green and just transition in coal-intense regions and mutual leaning between the EU, its Member States and China in the field of social protection.

This project, which is implemented with the expertise of International Labour Office (ILO) Office in China, aims at engaging with partners both at national and provincial levels as well as with sector-specific organisations and Chinese social partners such as the China Enterprise Confederation (CEC) and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU).

Under a Team Europe approach, during 2025 the European Union also intends to further strengthening synergies with EU Member States equally engaged with China in the area of social security. Experts from a few EU Member States already joined several technical activities in 2024 sharing their experiences in the area of regulatory frameworks for platform workers, in particular.

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European Union, 2025

More information about this project:

Improving China’s Institutional Capacity towards Universal Social Protection (Phase 2)