China has approved a five-year plan to speed up the establishment of a social security network that covers both urban and rural citizens by 2015, the State Council, China's cabinet, said on April 27.

The government will strive to build an essentially complete social security system and a relatively sound management service system by the end of China's 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-15), according to a statement released after a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao.

The statement said that the country's social security development is unbalanced, as the system in rural areas obviously lags behind, and the coverage rate of some basic social security systems is still low.

It said the government will speed up the construction of the system, which includes extending its old-age pension scheme to cover all residents, improving insurance systems for healthcare, employment injury, unemployment and maternity, as well as adopting measures to cope with an aging population.