People's Daily published a commentary in 2014 stating that civil servants' pension benefits should not be equalized with workers'

In 2014, People's Daily published a commentary on pensions, stating that civil servants hold public power and if their pension benefits are poor, it is difficult to lead the team, suggesting that occupational annuities be used to widen the gap in benefits between civil servants and enterprise employees. This article sparked renewed heated discussion in early November 2026.