ABSTRACT
Whoever deals with social security from the perspective of a developed country is appalled by circumstances prevailing in China and is inclined to forecast the impending collapse of the system. Nevertheless, when viewing this country’s transformations as a whole, one must acknowledge that China has accomplished a sheer unimaginable feat. Why should it fail on account of lacking social protection of its citizens? Escalation scenarios are easily evoked, but remain speculative and offer no basis for solving problems. And finally, it seems presumptuous to propose Western notions of solutions for a country such as China, which is faced with virtually Sisyphean tasks.
