China will build a stronger, more stable, balanced and sustainable fiscal system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Vice Finance Minister Liao Min said at an August 21 State Council Information Office press conference. Priorities include stronger fiscal capacity, optimized spending, improved macro-regulation, fiscal and tax reform, scientific fiscal management and resolution of fiscal risks. China’s 2026 general public budget allocates 12.4 trillion yuan to education, social security, healthcare, housing and related areas, up 5.4% year on year. A fiscal-financial coordination notice issued jointly by the Ministry of Finance, the People’s Bank of China and the National Financial Regulatory Administration, effective August 1, 2026, extends annualized 1 percentage point interest subsidies to newly originated credit-card installment products and working-capital loans for eligible small and medium-sized private enterprises. It raises annual eligible loan ceilings, expands participating lenders to about 400 institutions, and reinforces controls on local hidden debt.