Introduction: radical change in welfare systems in China - the interaction between the state and the other actors

The welfare system in China has gone through radical changes in the last 30-plus years. Superficially, reforms in social welfare, either in the direction of state withdrawal or reintroducing the state, have been under strong state control, or paced according to the state's political and development agenda. However, the formal control has been challenged in many ways. Included in this regional issue on China are several articles that may help to illustrate different dimensions of the dynamic relationship between the state and other actors during the welfare reform in China.