(FILES) This file picture taken on January 7, 2016 shows an employee counting 100-yuan (15 USD) banknotes at a bank in Lianyungang, in eastern China's Jiangsu province. In the event of a trade war with the United States, China could resort to devaluing its currency or dumping its massive holdings in US debt, but analysts warn both weapons could be double-edged swords. / AFP PHOTO / - / TO GO WITH AFP STORY: "CHINA-US-TRADE" Focus by Ryan MCMORROW
BEIJING: China’s central government is urging local authorities to offer handouts to people struggling with the cost of living, Xinhua news agency reports, citing a notice from the Civil Affairs Ministry.
Municipalities with the means are encouraged to provide financial aid ahead of the New Year and the Lunar New Year festival in late January, state-owned Xinhua reported on Saturday.
For maximum impact, local government agencies should set up systems to temporarily subsidise prices and link social assistance with price levels, according to the report.
The announcement marks the latest in a series of official steps to stoke private consumption, which is seen as crucial for repairing the economy.
With US tariffs potentially looming, China has signalled more public borrowing and spending with a shift of policy focus to consumption in 2025.
While official cash subsidies around festivals like the Lunar New Year are common, the government took the unusual step of distributing funds ahead of the Oct 1 National Day holiday.
That decision was seen as a bid to boost private expenditure.
In China, some 40 million people received subsidies designed to guarantee a minimum standard of living, according to data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs as of June.
Another 4.74 million people were deemed to be in “extreme poverty,” the ministry said. — Bloomberg
