COMPONENT 1 – NEWS AND
EVENTS
26 February -3 March 2017
Planning
mission to Provincial Pilot sites
THE DELEGATION WHEN LEAVING QINGYUAN CITY
(GUANGDONG PROVINCE)
From 26 February to 3
March 2017, the EU-China Social Protection Reform Project conducted a mission to
pilot sites in Shanghai and Guangdong Province. The objective was to get better
acquainted with the economic and social situation in the places visited, and to
formulate jointly between NDRC and European partners proposals for future
cooperation activities matching the expectations of the pilot sites, as well as
the competences and availability of the European party. Ms. Zhu Yingjuan, who
was just appointed Director general in the Department of Employment and Income
distribution, led the mission for NDRC. For the European side, representatives
from France, Belgium and Italy participated. Topics of core interest were in
Shanghai Long term care, and in Guangdong (Guangzhou and Qingyuan cities)
social insurance computerisation and networking.
23-30 October 2016
Provincial Dialogue and Study
Visit
France – Briefing of the delegation
Between 23 and 30
October, provincial delegations from Guangdong and Sichuan Provinces (two of
the project Component 1 pilot sites) undertook a dialogue and study visit to
France and the Czech Republic. The main focuses of interest for the delegations
were the reform, modernisation and coordination of social security schemes,
with special reference to mobile workers and computerisation. The Provincial
delegations were accompanied by representatives from NDRC Central level, and in
total 16 Chinese officials benefitted from this activity.
Contacts in France,
arranged by Expertise France, included the Pensions Advisory Board; the French
liaison body for migrant workers’ social security rights CLEISS, the National
Pensions Information Technology Center and the responsible ministries.
In the Czech
republic, the programme coordinated by the Ministry of Labour and Social
Affairs included exchanges with the Social security administration, the Public
employment services and the Ministry at the highest level, with Minister Ms
Marksova meeting with the delegation.
The representatives
fro NDRC central bodies continued their mission on 1 November to Germany, where
they held discussions with the Rhein-Bonn-Sieg University concerning the
organisation of a training course in 2017 under Component 1 programme of
activities.
Prague – Briefing at the Ministry of
Labour and Social Affairs
28-29 September 2016
2016 High Level Event on
Social protection reform
The High Level Event on Perspectives of Employment
Policy and Social Security Reform 2016 to 2020 under the EU-China Social
Protection Reform Project (SPRP) scope took place on 28th and 29th September
2016 in Beijing.
The SPRP, launched last year, is aimed to
promote social equity and inclusiveness of economic development in China, as
well as cooperation and dialogue between China and EU in the same field. It
involves 3 Chinese Beneficiaries (National Development Reform Commission,
Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Civil Affairs), the European Delegation to
China and Mongolia (EUD) and a European Consortium composed by 10 public
Institutions dealing with social security
in seven Countries (Italy, France, Poland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Romania
and Spain) and leads by the Italian Social Security
Institute (INPS).
This High Level Event enhances technical and policy dialogue between China
and Europe on employment policies and social security reform issues, which both
partners consider them as key to a sustainable, human-centered, continued economic
and social development. The focus of the discussions, analyzed from both the
Chinese and the European perspectives, has been a set of sensitive issues
related to the future of the macroeconomic situation as far as the labor market
and the social security system are concerned.
The event hosted the Vice-minister of the
National Development Reform Commission, Mr. Wang Xiaotao, who said that
although China is on track to make labor market more resilient, the nation
faces new challenges amid its economic transformation. The European Commission,
also represented by Mr. Michel Servoz, Director of DG for Employment, Social
Affairs and Inclusion, confirmed that Europe has a well-established system to
enhance reforms to improve flexibility and security in labor market.
The Project Leader, Mr. Giuseppe Conte,
stressed that Europe and China, thanks to strong relationships, can together
cope with the most important social and economic issues and share the progress
made by both Countries to face challenges of mutual interest.
6 September 2016:
Panel
discussion on 2016 topics
In line with the topics to be discussed at
the forthcoming High Level Event to be held in Beijing on 28th and 29th
September 2016, the project C1 component held the 2016 panel discussion on 6th
September 2016, in the International Cooperation Center of the NDRC, Beijing.
The Panel covered the topics 1.1.3 –Monitoring interaction between
employment promotion and social protection policies; 1.2.3 - Sustainability of
pension schemes (contributions and government subsidies); 1.3.7 -Ageing
population and possible strategy of dealing with this situation; and 1.4.2
-Relationship between social-economic development and the redistribution
function of social security. Power points presented by the experts can be found
on http://sprp-cn.eu/reports/3rdPanel6Sept2016/.
Mr. Ha Zengyou, Deputy Director General,
Department of Employment and Income Distribution, NDRC, chaired the Panel. Some
20 participants attended the Panel, including representatives of the Department
of Employment and Income Distribution of NDRC, the International Cooperation
Centre of NDRC, the EU Delegation to China, the team leader and the EU Resident
expert for Component 1 with the C1 team and Chinese Short term Experts as well
as members of the SPRP Beijing Project Office.
28 August – 4 September
2016:
On the roof, Expertise France. From left to
right, Cheng Jie, Chen Lin, F. Sansier, Pu Yufei, Chen Jun, C. Bouyeure, Tong
Siyun, Wang Yingsi
A high level delegation from the National
Development and Reform Commission, led by Mr Pu Yufei, Director General of the
Employment and Income Distribution Department, visited France and Belgium from
28 August to 4 September 2016 for a Dialogue and Study visit on the Influence
of Employment and Social Security Policies on Income Distribution in
Post-Crisis Era.
When in Paris, the delegation held
discussions with representatives from Ministry of Labour, Employment,
Vocational training and Social dialogue, with the General Commission for
Strategy and Policy Planning, as well as with the National Agency in charge of
Unemployment compensation and Employment promotion. They also held discussions
with Expertise France, which acts both as the Technical Coordinator and the
secretariat for Component 1 of the project, on forthcoming activities,
including the organisation of the 2016 High Level Event and the tentative
programme of activities for 2017.
In Brussels, the delegation had in-depth
discussions with eminent specialists from Belgium, Germany, the UK and European
institutions gathered for the occasion by the Federal Public Services Social
security of Belgium. The delegation also held a meeting at the European
Commission with the Director General of the Directorate for Employment, Social
Affairs and Inclusion to notably discuss the perspective and implementation of next-step
cooperation with EU in terms of optimizing income distribution and increasing
the number of middle class.
The delegation meets with Federal Public
services Social Security of Belgium 
20 June – 1 July 2016:
A high-level two-weeks training course for 20 senior officials from the
Chinese National and Provincial De elopement and Reform Commission NDRC, led by
Mr. Ha Zengyou, Deputy Director General of NDRC Employment and Income
distribution department, was held from 20 June to 1 July 2016 in Spain (Madrid
and Valladolid) around the topic of challenges posed to social security,
notably pensions protection, by demographic ageing. This activity is part of
the regular programme of the EU-China social protection reform project. It was
organized jointly by the Spanish Ministry of Employment and Social security,
EXPERTISE France acting both as Component coordinator and secretariat for
Component One project activities, and the Component One team within the Beijing
project office, with support from the project horizontal component. During the
two-weeks training, some 30 lectures
were delivered by Spanish and other European specialists, while Chinese members
of the delegation also introduced the relevant characteristics of their
demographic and social security environment. Mr. Ha’s concluding statement is
published on this
page.
27 and 28 April 2016 :
Provincial Training
seminar on migrant workers’ social security rights
– portability, financing, procedures
As part of the project Component 1 2016 programme of activities for
pilot sites, a training and exchange seminar was held in Foshan –
Guangdong Province – on 27 and 28 April 2016. Participants came from
Development Reform Commission and Social security administration from different
government levels in Guangdong and Sichuan Provinces.
Key note speeches were delivered by Chinese and European experts on
topics such as the integration of rural and urban pension schemes, the
portability of migrant workers social security entitlements, use of information
technology in social security management, governance and financing of
institutions. Representatives from local Governments also presented their
experiences in these areas, ensuring a fruitful dialogue and exchange among
experts and participants. Some 25
participants took part in the sessions, which were rated very positively by all
those involved.
More activities will be organised in 2016 for the benefit of C1 pilot
sites, both in-country and overseas.
26 April 2016 :
EU-China Employment & Social Security Policy dialogue
& Workshop
On 26 April 2016 in Beijing, a policy dialogue and international
workshop on
Employment and Social security gathered high-level officials from the
European Commission,
NDRC leaders, Chinese and European Experts, to discuss interrelations
between
employment and social security policies, in the perspective of addressing
emerging
labour market challenges under the context of the new normal economy for
China,
and the recovering European economies.
Discussions will hopefully pave the way to continued contacts between
NDRC and the European Commission in the labour and social fields,
and their results be used in the preparation of the project forthcoming
2016 High Level Event on the Perspective of
Employment Policy and Social Security Reform.
2 February 2016 :
Demographic
Ageing : Visit to Shanghai pilot site
From 1 to 3 February 2016, a
project mission composed of representatives from NDRC and
from Component 1 technical team
visited Shanghai, a city selected as pilot site for issues
related to Demographic ageing and
social protection. Accompanied by members of Shanghai
Development and Reform
commission, the mission visited several institutions specialized in
social and medical care for the
elderly. It conducted useful exchanges with local authorities,
and discussed with the Shanghai
DRC and the Shanghai academy of Development and Reform
possible avenues for associating
them to future relevant project activities.
21 January 2016 :
Seminar on Crisis and Social security
Component 1 organized a seminar
on Crisis and Social security on 21 January 2016
on the premises of the Institute
for Latin American studies of the Chinese Academy of Social sciences - CASS.
Mr Koen Vleminckx introduced the
topic, with several scholars from CASS intervening on specific subjects.
Mr. Zheng Bingwen, Director of
the Institute, reacted to the presentations.
In his concluding remarks, the EU
resident expert for C1 stressed that this seminar would definitely
help shaping C1 programme of
activities for 2016 concerning the
relation between social security
and its economic environment.
20 January 2016 :
Workshop on the 2015 Research topics
The Component 1 Workshop on 2015 Research
topics was held in Beijing on 20 January 2016,
and was quite successful from the opinion of
all participants.
Topics under review were linked to the
Pension reform, in direct relation with the XIIIth Five-years Plan.
The Workshop was co-chaired by Mr. Pu Yufei,
Director general of NDRC Department of Employment and Income distribution,
and Mr. Jean-Victor Gruat, Resident expert
for Component 1 of the Project.
Some 40 persons of which representatives
from MOHRSS, MoF, ACFTU and the EU Delegation attended.