国内英语新闻:China in past five years

The CPC Central Committee has always taken people's living standards as both the starting point and ultimate goal of their work.

Free compulsory education was offered in western rural areas in 2006 and was expanded to the entire country in 2008. In 2010, the country formulated the national education plan for the next decade.

Efforts were also made to boost employment. More than 57 million jobs were created in urban areas during the past five years and the transfer of surplus agricultural labor involved 45 million rural residents. The urban unemployment rate had been brought to within 4.3 percent.

The social security network was improved, with 125 million people being covered by basic medical insurance and 1,100 counties and county-level cities and districts implementing the new old-age insurance system for rural residents.

Also, the authorities in April 2009 unveiled a three-year plan for national health care reform with an investment of at least 850 billion yuan, with an emphasis on the nature of public benefits.

China began the construction of 5.9 million low-income housing units in 2010, and plan to begin the construction of another 10 million units next year.