Source: Government of Sweden
On 20 May, EU defence ministers will meet in Brussels within the framework of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. The meeting will focus on continued EU support to Ukraine and strengthening EU defence readiness and preparedness. Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will represent Sweden at the meeting.
Source: Government of Sweden
An inquiry has been tasked with proposing measures to improve the prospects of attracting and retaining foreign doctoral students and researchers in Sweden. The aim is to strengthen Sweden’s competitiveness as a research and innovation nation. The inquiry will also review the regulatory framework for residence permits for studies, with the aim of counteracting abuse of study permits.
Source: Government of Sweden
To combat crime and increase security, investments in the judicial system and criminal law measures must be combined with effective and proactive crime prevention efforts. The Government has therefore presented a national strategy that focuses on social crime prevention measures. The aim includes preventing children and young people from becoming involved in criminal networks and other types of crime.
Source: Government of Sweden
To improve the conditions for cooperation between Swedish and American universities, research institutions and businesses on research, innovation and education, Vinnova and the Swedish Research Council have signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with the National Science Foundation (NSF) of the United States of America.
Source: Government of Sweden
The Government’s new action programme to prevent and combat men’s violence against women, domestic violence, honour-based violence and oppression, and prostitution and human trafficking, for the period 2024–2026, contatins over 130 initiatives and measures. This is a short version of the action programme.
Source: Government of Sweden
Everyone has the right to be themselves without risking violence, harassment or discrimination. LGBTIQ people’s equal rights and opportunities are a priority issue for the Government, and development of a new action plan is under way. The Government is also implementing a large number of other initiatives in this area.
Source: Government of Sweden
The UN Climate Change Conference COP 29 will take place on 11–22 November in Baku, Azerbaijan. The key issues to be negotiated are the new global goal for financing climate action and emissions trading. The Government also wants to pick up the pace of work on new national climate action plans.
Source: Government of Sweden
After long negotiations, the UN Climate Change Conference COP29 concluded on 24 November 2024 with a decision on a New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG). The NCQG encompasses USD 300 billion annually. However, decisions on other negotiating points were postponed to next year’s COP30 in Brazil.
Source: Government of Sweden
The fight against inflation has been won, and the Government is now shifting the focus of its economic policy: from fighting inflation to investing in a more prosperous and safer Sweden. The Government’s Budget Bill for 2025 includes reforms totalling SEK 60 million, excluding military support to Ukraine.
Source: Government of Sweden
The Government presented the Budget Bill for 2025 to the Riksdag today. The fight against inflation has been won, and the Government is now shifting the focus of its economic policy: from fighting inflation to investing to build a more prosperous and safer Sweden. The Budget Bill includes reforms totalling SEK 60 billion, excluding military support to Ukraine, and is based on an agreement between the Government and the Sweden Democrats.
Source: Government of Sweden
The Government has decided to submit a detailed opinion on the French proposal to ban the sale and possession of white snus. The proposal is far-reaching and involves banning all products containing white snus in France, which would be a restriction of free movement in the EU Single Market.
Source: Government of Sweden
On 26–27 May, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa is travelling to Cairo. He is accompanying a business delegation to promote Swedish exports and increased trade with Egypt. Mr Dousa will also meet with humanitarian organisations to discuss issues such as the acute and unacceptable situation in Gaza.
Source: Government of Sweden
On Thursday 22 May, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa hosted a business seminar on Moldova. The event in Stockholm aimed to give Swedish businesses deep insight into Moldova’s economic and political development and investment opportunities.
Source: Government of Sweden
The Government’s new reform agenda, ‘Development assistance for a new era – freedom, empowerment and sustainable growth’, has a particular focus on improved health for the most vulnerable people. Initiatives are needed to improve prospects of good health, ensure functioning health and medical care systems, and strengthen preparedness, in order to better address health threats at global level. Sweden has an important role to play in these efforts.
Source: Government of Sweden
On 22–30 September, the 79th session of the UN General Assembly is being highlighted in New York. In conjunction with the session, a high-level debate and several high-level meetings will convene, including the Summit of the Future. Sweden will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa and Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson.
Source: Government of Sweden
Due to technical issues with Sweden’s state aircraft, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard and Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer were unfortunately re-directed back to Stockholm, Arlanda. This was purely a safety measure and neither passengers nor crew were in danger.
Source: Government of Sweden
The Government has tasked the Swedish Armed Forces with making disbursements to the capability coalitions in the demining and drone areas within the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) framework. This SEK 80 million in support is part of the 18th military support package to Ukraine.
Source: Government of Sweden
The Swedish Government has presented its largest military support package to Ukraine to date, valued at almost SEK 16 billion. Ukraine has requested capabilities related to air defence, artillery, satellite communication, and naval capabilities. Together with the support package announced earlier this year, Swedish support to Ukraine amounts to approximately SEK 29.5 billion in 2025. Sweden’s military support since 2022 thus totals about SEK 80 billion.
Source: Government of Sweden
On 1–3 April, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will visit Poland. On 1 April, Mr Jonson will participate in a formal ceremony for the Swedish contribution to Air Policing. On 2 April, Mr Jonson will take part in a high-level conference on the White Paper on the future of European defence, and on 2–3 April, Mr Jonson will represent Sweden at the informal meeting of EU defence ministers.
Source: Government of Sweden
The task force for Jewish life in Sweden held its third meeting on Friday 9 February, with its discussions mainly focused on the 2024 theme of education. New representatives of the National Agency for Education and the Swedish National Council of Adult Education joined this meeting. The task force will also continue to address last year’s theme of security in 2024.
Source: Government of Sweden
Sweden and the US have entered into a bilateral cooperation agreement on cancer research and care. The agreement builds on the cooperation agreement that the two countries concluded in 2016 with the aim of accelerating research results through increased exchange.
Source: Government of Sweden
The Government is now presenting an action programme to prevent and combat men’s violence against women, domestic violence, honour-based violence and oppression, and prostitution and human trafficking for the period 2024–2026. The programme contains over 130 initiatives and measures to be undertaken on a broad front at national, regional and local level. The efforts will also be strengthened in four special priority areas for development.
Source: Government of Sweden
The Government is working tirelessly to prevent and combat men’s violence against women, domestic violence, honour-based violence and oppression, and prostitution and human trafficking. The Government´s new action programme for the period 2024–2026 helps reinforce these efforts.
Source: Government of Sweden
On 22 September, the Global Digital Compact (GDC), the first framework for global governance of digital technology, was adopted in connection with the UN Summit of the Future in New York. The Swedish Government was represented by Minister for Energy, Business and Industry and Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch. The GDC is one of the most concrete aspects of the multilateral Pact for the Future adopted by UN Member States ahead of the 2024 General Assembly. Other key discussions addressed the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, energy policy, development issues and how to achieve the global climate goals.
Source: US Representative Gabe Vasquez’s (NM-02)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On July 30, 2025, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) released the following statement on the urgent need for humanitarian aid in Gaza.
“The intentional starvation of innocent children in Gaza is undeniable and abhorrent. It is unacceptable that President Netanyahu openly denies the effect of his own cruel actions in a way that clearly flies in the face of what millions around the world have seen with their own eyes. This stark violation of human rights calls on us to do everything we can to protect the lives of these innocent children.”
“The administration must use every diplomatic tool possible to put an end to this atrocity and immediately pause all military assistance until a ceasefire is reached. Additionally, sanctions must be placed on Israeli officials who have ordered or condoned the killing of innocent civilians. The United States must hold those who have contributed to the killing of innocent people — including children — accountable, and President Trump must use his power to bring an end to this conflict and humanitarian crisis,” said Vasquez.
As the first member of the New Mexico delegation to call for a ceasefire, Rep. Vasquez has continued to push the administration to ensure innocent civilians in Gaza are not subjected to mass starvation and indiscriminate killing on the American taxpayer’s dime.
###
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
KFF: Individual market insurers are requesting the largest premium increases in more than 5 years; Out-of-pocket premium payments will go up by 75 percent if the tax credits expire
In Washington state, expiration of health care tax credits will kick 80,000 people off health coverage
Senator Murray has been fighting for months to extend tax credits that help working families afford health care and has introduced legislation to make them permanent
***Watch full press conference HERE; download HERE***
Washington, D.C. —Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, held a virtual press conference with Jeanne Lambrew, Director of Health Care Reform at The Century Foundation and a former senior official in the Obama administration official who worked on the passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and Washington Health Benefit Exchange CEO Ingrid Ulrey, to discuss—and sound the alarm on—how Republicans’ refusal to extend critical ACA tax credits that help families and small businesses who purchase their own health insurance on the marketplace will spike premiums and raise health care costs for people in Washington state and across the country.
At the end of this year, enhanced premium tax credits Congress enacted to lower the cost of health care for working people who buy health insurance on their own are set to expire. For months, Republicans have refused to extend them, including recently as part of their partisan reconciliation bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—which was explicitly designed to extend expiring tax credits, and included trillions of dollars in tax breaks for billionaires.
If Republicans continue to refuse to extend the health care tax credits, 22 million Americans across the country—including more than 216,000 people in Washington state—will see their health care costs and premiums skyrocket in January. The expiration of these tax credits is estimated to drive up out-of-pocket premium payments by an average of over 75 percent for Americans who rely on ACA health plans for coverage, and these higher costs will push 4.2 million people off their health coverage over the next decade—including an estimated 80,000 people in Washington state. Right now, health insurers and state regulators are finalizing premium rates for next year, and marketplace insurers are requesting the largest premium increases in more than 5 years. In Washington state, health insurers have already requested to hike their rates by one fifth—people who purchase health insurance through the marketplace may see their premiums rise between 4.7 percent and 23.6 percent, depending on the plan. A fact sheet from the Washington Health Benefit Exchange on the enhanced premium tax credits and what their expiration would mean for people in Washington state is HERE.
“While the health care tax credits Republicans refused to extend may not expire until the end of the year, insurers are setting their rates right now, and when credits expire—rates go higher. Marketplace insurers are right now requesting the largest premium increases in more than 5 years. In Washington state, health insurers have already requested to hike their rates by over 20 percent, in no small part because of what Republicans have done—or rather, refused to do,” said Senator Murray. “When premiums spike next year, I am going to make sure everyone knows it’s because Republicans chose to make health care more expensive. Not on accident. Not for reasons unknown. But because Republicans decided to do nothing and let costs skyrocket. Because Republicans decided we can afford to shovel trillions of dollars towards tax breaks for billionaires, but we can’t afford to help working families get health care.”
Senator Murray played a critical role in passing the enhanced premium tax credits in the American Rescue Plan in 2021 and extending them in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and she has been fighting for months to make sure these important health care tax credits don’t expire, including cosponsoring legislation—the Health Care Affordability Act—that would make them permanent.
“The expiring ACA Marketplace tax credits are critical to keeping meaningful coverage within reach for millions of Americans,” said Jeanne Lambrew, Director of Health Care Reform at The Century Foundation and a former senior official in the Obama administration official who worked on the passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). “Unless Republicans come to the table to lower costs for families by extending these tax credits, Americans across the country are going to see their premiums skyrocket—especially in rural areas and places where access to health care is already challenging.”
“Enhanced premium tax credits help more than 216,000 Washingtonians afford health coverage and are especially important for older and rural residents, small business owners and self-employed people in our state. If Congress allows them to expire, people will be angry and upset by steep premium increases starting in January 2026. Many will drop coverage and everyone in our state will feel the pain of ripple effects across our health care system and economy,” said Ingrid Ulrey, Chief Executive Officer for Washington Health Benefit Exchange. “These tax credits work. They help make coverage more affordable for working people, families and small businesses all over the state.”
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
“Thank you all for joining me today. You know, Republicans have been trying to tell some big fat lies about their big, awful bill, especially when it comes to health care.
“So, we are here to set the record straight, and to give America a stark warning. When Republicans lined up behind Trump, and jammed through a bill they hardly liked, and hardly even read—they didn’t just vote to throw trillions of dollars in tax cuts at some of the richest people in the world, they also voted to throw working families to the wolves and throw America’s health care into chaos.
“From cutting Medicaid, something they first said they weren’t doing and now are pretending they want to undo. To shuttering hospitals, something they first said would not happen and then said they could cover with a Band-Aid.
“To approving Trump’s sabotage of the ACA marketplace something that will kick millions of families off their coverage.
“To refusing to extend health care tax credits, something that will send premiums skyrocketing, and push another 4.2 million people off their insurance.
“Let’s be clear about just how big of a deal that is. Right now, these tax credits—passed entirely by Democrats—are saving millions of people across the country hundreds of dollars a month!
“In Washington state, we have over 200,000 people—who are saving around $1,300 a year on average.
“But instead of extending that support for working class families, instead of putting health care first, Republicans put billionaires first.
“And now families are going to be the one stuck footing the cost for Republicans’ big, ugly bill. And unfortunately, the consequences of Republican actions—which they keep trying to deny—are coming sooner than Republicans might think.
“Because, while the health care tax credits they refused to extend may not expire until the end of this year, insurers are setting their rates right now, and when credits expire—rates go higher.
“Marketplace insurers are right now requesting the largest premium increases in more than 5 years.
“In Washington state, health insurers have already requested to hike their rates by over 20 percent, in no small part because of what Republicans have done—or rather, refused to do.
“Combined with Republican ACA sabotage? That could push as many as 150,000 people off their health care coverage across our state. To say nothing of the people who will get pushed off Medicaid in 2027 and beyond.
“This is going to be catastrophic—which is why it’s so important we sound the alarm for families about what is coming down the pike.
“And I want to sound the alarm for Republicans too—if you don’t come to the table ASAP to fix this, you are not going to be able to spin your way out of this reality.
“When over 15 million people lose their health care due to Republican health care cuts and sabotage, you are not going to convince them everything is A-Okay.
“When hospitals shutter because Republicans gutted their funding, you can’t just pretend everything is sunshine and nothing is wrong.
“When insurance companies jack up premiums across the country and millions of families lose the health care tax credits that saved them thousands of dollars because Republicans refused to lift a finger, you’re not going to get by, by sticking your heads in the sand.
“You are the ones who put American health care on this collision course. You may try to ignore the warnings, you may try to ignore the voices back home speaking out, but you’re not going to be able to avoid the responsibility.
“When premiums spike next year, I am going to make sure everyone knows it’s because Republicans chose to make health care more expensive.
“Not on accident. Not for reasons unknown. But because Republicans decided to do nothing and let costs skyrocket.
“Because Republicans decided we can afford to shovel trillions of dollars towards tax breaks for billionaires, but we can’t afford to help working families get their health care.
“They couldn’t be more wrong.
“So, I’m really glad to be joined today by two speakers who are experts on the ACA tax credits and they can lay out what their expiration will mean for families in Washington state and across the country.”
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
***WATCH: Senator Murray’s remarks on Senate Floor***
Washington, D.C. —Today,U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke out on the Senate floor against the nomination of Joe Kent to lead the National Counterterrorism Center. Senator Murray slammed Kent for his lack of experience and long history of promoting conspiracy theories and white supremacist views, and urged her colleagues to vote against his nomination.
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered on the Senate Floor, are below:
“Thank you, M. President.
“The National Counterterrorism Center plays a crucial role keeping our country safe. The agency is responsible for collecting and analyzing intelligence to help protect our nation from terrorist threats. It is sober, serious work that requires a level head and a commitment to putting the mission before politics.
“Which is why I am deeply alarmed that Republicans are charging ahead to put it under the thumb of a conspiracy theorist who espouses white supremacist views, and is patently unqualified for this important role in just about every way imaginable. You are supposed to pick people with qualifications, but just about everything we know about Joe Kent is disqualifying for this role and alarming.
“There’s his track record chumming it up with white supremacists, from discussing campaign strategy with avowed white supremacist Nick Fuentes, to giving an interview to a guy who has defended Hitler, to rallying with the founder of a far-right paramilitary group, and let’s not forget the Proud Boy that he hired as a consultant!
“And it’s not just his connections, there’s his own deeply bigoted statements like: claiming Islam is ‘based on conquest at its core,’ and pushing racist ‘replacement theory’ rhetoric.
“That is alarming stuff. Let’s be frank here: These are white supremacist views—and they should have absolutely no place in our federal government.
“And then there is his track record of politicizing intelligence, like when he was caught red handed pushing to change intelligence reports—facts be damned—so they would agree with Trump and attack Biden.
“Joe Kent also has a track record of peddling conspiracies and attacking law enforcement, from saying our country is at war with ‘leftist cabal,’ or calling to completely defund the FBI and ATF, agencies that keep Americans safe from foreign and domestic threats, or pushing the offensive and false conspiracy that the January 6th insurrection was somehow a deep state plot.
“You want to know who in the federal government was behind the insurrection? How about we start with man in the White House who promised to march to the Capitol with them? How about we start with the President who calls rioters patriots? How about we start with the guy who pardoned violent cop beaters—en masse?
“If you cannot be honest with the American people about January 6th—you have no business being trusted with protecting our democracy. It should be that simple.
“And let’s not forget—Joe Kent was on the infamous Signal-gate chat—where classified attack plans were discussed with no regard for security, or law, not to mention the safety of our servicemembers.
“You know what he had to say about that? He said no classified information was discussed. That was the answer he gave at his Senate confirmation hearing.
“Now it’s obvious that answer was a complete lie. Last week, the Pentagon’s watchdog confirmed there was classified information in that Signal chat.
“So, was Kent being intentionally dishonest? Or does he not understand what classified information is?
“Either way—it is completely disqualifying. Which—as I think I’ve made clear—is pretty much the pattern here.
“So here is my warning to Republicans, confirming someone like Joe Kent to lead the National Counterterrorism Center makes about as much sense as putting Donald Trump in charge of releasing the Epstein files after all that we have learned.
“We have all the evidence we could ever need—in the public record, right now—that he is not going to do the right thing. And we have no reason to believe he will do this important, high-stakes, work in a serious, impartial manner—let alone a competent one.
“So, M. President, I am here to urge all of my colleagues to join me in doing exactly what people back in Washington state have done each time they were asked to trust Joe Kent, vote no.”
Source: Government of Sweden
On 4 June, Sweden’s Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will travel to Brussels to take part in a meeting held within the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG). Mr Jonson will take part in the meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence the day after, also held in Brussels.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Children draw pictures beside the fields at Yuxin Town of Nanhu District in Jiaxing City, east China’s Zhejiang Province, April 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)
“Traveling thousands of miles is better than reading thousands of books” is a proverb many Chinese parents have faith in, and its sentiment is fueling the rise of study tours, particularly during the ongoing summer vacation in China.
Integrating educational content with holiday vibes, these tours typically involve visits to prestigious universities, museums and cultural heritage sites.
And now a shift is underway — parents, schools and travel agencies are turning away from bustling cities and opting for the tranquil countryside when making holiday arrangements for children and teens, aiming to help them broaden their horizons and get close to nature.
In northeast China, where cornfields stretch far and wide, Ma Zhihai demonstrated how to use stone axes and iron sickles, both traditional farming tools that are unfamiliar to many urbanites, to an attentive study tour group.
The 62-year-old farmer from Changchun, Jilin Province, works as a part-time guide at a corn museum in his village. With a collection of nearly 10,000 items, the museum often caters to groups of local students.
“The oldest exhibits date back to dynasties 1,000 years ago,” Ma said, viewing the collections as a living textbook preserving China’s farming culture.
Ma’s village is among China’s many rural areas that are tapping into the potential of educational tours and opening a new gateway to rural revitalization. Data shows that this booming market neared a scale of 147 billion yuan (20.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023 and is projected to hit 242 billion yuan by 2026.
Featuring wild landscapes, rich histories and folk cultures, China’s rural areas have natural advantages for study field trips.
“Look, I caught a crab!” a girl exclaimed in a paddy field that is also used for crab breeding. Mud spots on her face marked her triumph and also her study results.
The field in Zhoujiazhuang, a village in north China’s Hebei Province, allows rice and crabs to coexist, while also serving as a dedicated base for educational tours. Students on the tour were seen planting rice seedlings and taking notes on the ideal water temperature for crab cultivation.
“It’s so fun. I’m even thinking about raising a crab myself now,” one boy said.
Attracted by such niche experiences, many of the tourists visiting Zhoujiazhuang are now willing to remain there longer, with overnight stays increasing notably. Ranging from brief snapshot visits to deeper immersion in a slow-paced way of life, rural tourism is gaining new vitality.
This positive trend is also a result of the progress China’s rural areas have made in their development of infrastructure and living environments. Today, over 90 percent of administrative villages across the country are covered by the 5G network, and more than 300,000 village-level logistics facilities have been put into use.
Thanks to a government push to stimulate consumption and the country’s efforts to promote comprehensive rural revitalization, a multitude of study tour campsites have sprouted across rural China. By giving full play to local tourism resources, they are emerging as a new form and key driver of rural revitalization.
In southwest China’s Yunnan Province, a popular tourist destination, travelers are attracted by the opportunity to learn about ceramics, bamboo weaving and ethnic-minority embroidery handicrafts. Meanwhile, in Yudong Village in east China’s Zhejiang Province, which is known for its folk arts, the likes of travelers, artists and farmers sit down together to paint picturesque scenery.
Rural residents are deeply involved in this wave — and their incomes have increased markedly via sales of specialty foods and the running of guesthouses.
In a village of Zhongyi Township, southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, workshops on local dances, tea and desserts have created more than 200 jobs and spawned over 20 derivative products, like noodles and honey beverages, achieving a remarkable 43-percent repurchase rate on multiple e-commerce platforms.
Zhongyi was once among the poorest towns in Chongqing — its local average annual income was less than 10,000 yuan in 2019.
Capitalizing on the “tourism-plus-educational-tour” model, Zhongyi recorded 189,000 tourist trips in 2024, generating 9.88 million yuan in revenue — with the average income of locals increasing by 32 percent compared with 2020.
“We have designed 10 tours involving different routes, transforming Zhongyi into a live-scenario classroom that teaches about bees while representing traditional farming and folk customs,” said Liu Chengyong, an educational tour guide.
Liu is a native of Zhongyi. In 2020, he returned to his hometown and joined a collective that organizes study tours. He led other young entrepreneurs to tap into the market and design compelling educational programs. Now, the company can handle 1,300 visits each day.
The transformation of Zhongyi has convinced more young people like Liu to return home and pitch in. Over the past three years, the town has attracted over 100 young entrepreneurs, giving rise to new jobs like “countryside CEO” and study tour guide.
Young returnees in rural areas also help address the lack of guides and breathe new life into rural revitalization with fresh eyes and business philosophies.
Ni Shuna, who was born in the 1990s, operates an ecological agricultural company based in a town under the administration of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang. Seeing the potential of educational tours, Ni’s team designed activities such as fruit picking, orchard tours and starry-night camping, making her company a multi-functional leisure business that integrates catering, entertainment and education.
“Kids come here to increase their knowledge and broaden their horizons. It’s worthwhile to see their eyes gleam with curiosity and gratification,” Ni said.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China improves people’s well-being through digital, intelligent services
Xinhua | July 31, 2025
Last year, China continued its digitization drive across various public services, including medical care, health, social security, employment and elderly care, further boosting the well-being of the people, according to a newly-released report.
By the end of 2024, 418 million people were using internet-based medical services in China, and 1.07 billion people had electronic social security cards, Wen Ruisong, an official of the Cyberspace Administration of China, said at an event that saw the release of the report on China’s informatization drive.
Throughout 2024, Chinese authorities continued to improve the equitability, universality and accessibility of digitized services for the people, Wen noted.
Through this drive, the country also saw steady progress in the construction of its national cultural big data system, and further streamlined government services with increased efficiency, Wen added.