Getting old before getting rich? Challenges to the sustainability of the Chinese pension system

This presentation examines the sustainability of the Chinese urban pensions system the main component in Chinas overall old age support system. It looks at the sustainability of the system overall and, in particular, at the extent of regional variations and the common challenges facing Chinese policy makers. Given the experience to date, of slow progress on various aspects of pension policy reform, I argue that it seems unlikely that paradigmatic change will be significant. Nonetheless, there are a range of parametric policy measures which can either help or hinder Chinas attempts to address the challenge. The challenge for Chinas policy-makers will be to ensure that China gets old and rich at the same time. Mel Cousins is visiting research fellow at the School of Social Work and Social Policy, TCD. He works as social protection consultant for a range of international agencies including the EU, ILO and UNICEF and has worked in a wide range of European and Asian countries including China. He has written extensively on Chinese social protection and pension policy.