The report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) stressed that the country will advance the Healthy China Initiative, give strategic priority to ensuring the people's health, improve policies on promoting public health, optimize the population development strategy, establish a policy system to boost birth rates, and bring down the costs of childbirth, child rearing and education.

The revised Population and Family Planning Law, which allows each couple to have three children, was adopted at the 30th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, on Aug 20, 2021. The revision of the law is an important measure taken by the NPC Standing Committee to implement the CPC Central Committee's decision, cope with new circumstances in the reform, and promote the full implementation of the three-child policy with legal guarantee.

An amendment to the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women was passed at the 37th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee on Oct 30, 2022, to thoroughly implement the fundamental national policy of gender equality, make constant progress in enriching and developing the institutional protection of women's lawful rights and interests, and create a stronger and solid legal foundation for their all-round development.

The 35th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee adopted the revised Law on Physical Culture and Sports on June 24, 2022. The new amendment was designed to facilitate the country's building of a world-class sporting powerhouse and a healthy China, address pressing issues in the country's sports development, keep in line with the reform of sports development, and improve coordination of relevant areas of sports.

The Family Education Promotion Law, passed at the 31st session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee on Oct 23, 2021, demonstrates the legal efforts made by the country to foster and carry forward traditional Chinese family virtues, and to advance the healthy growth and comprehensive development of minors.

The report to the 20th CPC National Congress said that the country will pursue a proactive national strategy in response to its aging population, develop elderly care programs and services, and provide better services for the elderly who live alone, ensuring that basic elderly care is accessible to the entire aging population.

During its 5th session on Aug 31, 2018, the 13th NPC Standing Committee passed an amendment to the individual income tax law, which adds expenses of elderly care to special additional deductions in a move to further promote the traditional Chinese virtues of treating seniors with filial piety and respect.

The report to the 20th CPC National Congress noted that the country will further reform its medical and healthcare systems and promote the coordinated development and regulation of medical insurance, medical services and pharmaceuticals. In addition, the country will expand the availability of quality medical resources, ensure a balanced distribution among regions, give priority to disease prevention, strengthen health management for major chronic diseases, and enhance its capacity for disease prevention and treatment, as well as health management at the community level. It also called for further endeavors to build up the ranks of medical and healthcare personnel with an emphasis on rural areas and urban communities.

On Dec 28, 2019, the 15th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee passed the Law on Basic Medical and Health Care and the Promotion of Health, which was the country's first fundamental and comprehensive law in the medical sector to safeguard the health of the people.

Drug safety is closely related to the protection of public health and safety, and on  Aug 26, 2019, the 12th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee voted to adopt the revision to the drug administration law as part of the country's efforts to strengthen whole-process supervision of drug safety and guard the bottom line of public safety.

Medical workers have played a vital role in safeguarding public health and advancing the Healthy China Initiative. On Aug 20, 2021, the 30th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee endorsed the Law on Protecting Medical Staff to guard the legitimate rights and interests of medical personnel and ensure the health of the people.

The report to the 20th CPC National Congress emphasized that the country will develop new mechanisms for enhancing collaboration, coordination and integration among hospitals and institutions for disease prevention and control, improve the public health system and early warning system for major epidemics, strengthen the systems for epidemic prevention, control and treatment, and bolster its emergency response capacity so as to effectively contain major infectious diseases.

The Vaccine Management Law, which was passed at the 11th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee on June 29, 2019, stipulates strict management by requiring a whole-process supervision system and toughening penalties on producing and selling fake or substandard vaccines.

On Jan 22, 2021, the 25th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee adopted the newly-revised Animal Quarantine Law, which underscores the protection of public health and safety and makes major improvements and innovations to the concepts and institutional arrangements for animal quarantine.

Public health is the foremost indicator for China's modernization drive and an important foundation for the people’s happiness and wellbeing. The country will stick to the principle of putting people's lives and health first, comprehensively advance the Healthy China Initiative under the rule of law, encourage the public to be responsible for their own health, and realize the goal of universal health in a move to contribute to the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.