China’s rural pensions in focus as lawmakers fight for farmers’ fair share amid income gap

Some Chinese lawmakers and advisers are pushing to secure higher pensions for elderly farmers, underscoring the persistent income disparity between the country’s urban and rural residents.The latest government work report, approved on Thursday, confirmed a 20-yuan (US$2.91) monthly increase to basic pension payments for a third consecutive year, bringing the national minimum to 163 yuan. However, some deputies from China’s top legislature contend that this level is inadequate.“A pension of just over 100 yuan each month is really, really difficult” to live on, said Bi Lixia, a deputy of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, who urged the government to raise the monthly minimum to 400 yuan for rural residents aged 70 or older.Another deputy, Lei Maoduan, called for the basic pension for elderly farmers to be raised to 500 yuan over the next three years. He argued that, while farmers’ contributions to the nation’s social security scheme may be relatively small, they have made significant contributions to society through their labour and agricultural production.The appeals on the sidelines of the “two sessions” – the annual meetings of the NPC and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation’s top political advisory body – come as the country grapples with persistent rural-urban income inequality.05:41Why China's elderly farmers can't afford to retireWhy China's elderly farmers can't afford to retireWhile Beijing sees rural spending as a means to help drive China’s shift towards a consumption-led growth model, many in the countryside struggle to afford basic living costs.