Due to the different development levels of various regions, there exist huge differences in the public services people can access, with those in economically developed regions enjoying more and better public services than those in less developed regions.

This has given rise to numerous social issues that need ironing out, and sparked calls by some for the government to offer equal basic public services to all.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, recently published a plan aimed at promoting more uniform provision of basic public services such as education, social security, healthcare and housing. It contains an expanded definition of what services should be provided by local governments and marks a substantial step toward realizing fairer distribution of basic public services among regions.