China is at a turning point in the reform of its social welfare system due to new opportunities and pressures. First, China is in transition to a middle developed country. Fast economic growth has created more wealth for the government and society that could be invested in the social welfare of its citizens. Second, social problems and conflicts have accumulated, partly as a result of past social policies, which were residual only, as was common in Asia (Aspalter, Reference Aspalter2006). These residual policies had the primary purpose of securing the economic and political interests of the nation, which were regarded as superior to the interests of individual citizens. The social costs of economic growth at the expense of human rights are widespread and often hidden. In this unsustainable situation, the Chinese public has called for fundamental reforms to China's social policies – not only policies aimed at resolving individual problems, but also reform of the basic principles of the social welfare system as a whole.

It is in this context that the Chinese government has moved towards human rights-based social policies. China is a signatory to United Nations Conventions, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008. A human rights frame has the potential to emphasise social justice in a global context (Beitz, Reference Beitz2003). Chinese social policy consistent with these directions has implications for equitable access to social support and participatory rights in social policy processes. It is timely for a review of these questions, given the strategic global importance of China and social change in China.

This themed section illustrates the social policy issues facing the Chinese government through a collection of articles that analyse recent empirical research on developments in Chinese social policy. They include pension reforms, aged care and support, kinship foster care for vulnerable children, and child protection.Footnote ¹

Published social policy research is urgently needed to inform theory and Chinese policy to understand and support citizens' human rights. The significance of this collection stems from the academic and policy insights, the strategic global significance of China and the social contribution of addressing the rights and needs of Chinese citizens. This themed section contributes to social policy theory with national and international application in the fields of research methodology, human rights analysis and social policy theory in transition and developing countries. The collection offers insights into policy and adds to theories of human rights in the context of the relationships between the state, families and civil society in East Asian welfare systems. Human rights research and policy collaboration between Chinese and international researchers adds to mutual conceptualisation and sharing of policy process and system responses. The collection theme is innovative for its policy implications for Chinese government social policy processes by understanding the strengths and limits of current processes to implement human rights obligations. It acknowledges the policy role of the state, non-government agencies, communities, families and citizens.

The themed issue begins with a review article on current literature about Chinese social policy that discusses the dilemmas facing the Chinese government to reform China's residual social policies in response to current social and political development. It explores how human rights-based policies, transparent policy processes and the barriers to them are becoming evident. The themed section illustrates these challenges in different aspects of China's social policies, including income support and services for vulnerable groups, such as children, older people and people with disabilities. As China shifts to a middle developed country a new welfare state is emerging.

The financial costs borne by older people with disabilities and their families are the focus of the second article in this collection. Wang, Xu, Shang, and Guo calculate the additional income needed by older people with disabilities to attain the same standard of living as their neighbours in urban northern China. They compute the extra costs which arise because of direct care needs, for example for treatment or care services, and because of discrimination in social services which can result in more expensive food, housing and other daily needs. These estimates not only show that older people with disabilities require additional financial resources, but that this need is even greater for older women and people living alone, and that it increases as individuals age. Without state support, older people with disabilities and their families face a high risk of poverty.

The rights of vulnerable children in China are the central concern of the next two articles. As with the care of older people, responsibility for the care and protection of vulnerable children also lies with families. Katz, Shang and Zhang argue that the minimal mechanisms for the protection of children who experience abuse, assault or neglect do not constitute a child protection system. In their research in southern China, the authors find that those government agencies which could be involved in protecting children generally do not see this as part of their responsibilities and no organisation takes the lead in child protection. Moreover, there is little recognition of maltreatment among professionals, families and even children themselves. Physical punishment is widespread and valued as an element in child rearing, and sexual or emotional abuse is rarely acknowledged. Katz, Shang and Zhang argue that children cannot be protected without significant cultural and organisational change.

Chinese children who no longer live with their parents, either because they are orphaned or have been abandoned, are usually raised by their extended families. Shang, Saldov and Fisher ask how well children's rights are met under current kinship care arrangements. Families struggle with insufficient resources but rarely receive assistance from the Chinese state, which does not contribute if a child is not being cared for by kin. The authors find that changing social conditions, including smaller families, mean that there is less kinship support available to care for orphaned children. Moreover, the current informal system does not provide for all children equally, girls and children with disabilities are less likely to be taken in by their extended families than boys without disabilities. Shang, Saldov and Fisher argue that orphaned children's rights are not supported by the current system as children are not adequately protected or all their needs met. They argue for the urgent development of rights-based policy to support kinship care.

The themed issue concludes with a list of useful sources for Chinese social policy. As reflected in the review article, China's social policy transformation is a burgeoning research area and available literature becomes outdated quickly. The sources concentrate on relevant current information about social policy and human rights in China, including key Chinese language publications.