China's CPC Central Committee and State Council have issued binding labour protections for over 200 million gig workers — the first time the party's highest authority has formalised such rules. Key mandates include local minimum wage guarantees, app-enforced maximum working hours (the platform must stop dispatching orders when limits are hit), and algorithm transparency subject to collective bargaining with unions. A 2027 compliance deadline applies to major platforms including Meituan, Didi, Alibaba's Ele.me, and JD.com. The regulations create a three-tier classification: full employment contracts, a middle category with written agreements, and a baseline floor for all workers. The move is partly driven by Beijing's economic pivot toward domestic consumption — gig workers earning $563–845/month lack the purchasing power to fuel a consumption-led economy. Companies have begun making pledges (Didi: 1.1B yuan in subsidies; Alibaba: 50% social security coverage), but enforcement remains the historical weak point of Chinese gig worker regulation.
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