The People's Daily has issued a rebuttal to the notion that China's pension system is on the verge of collapse, stating that such views are attempts to stir public discord and create unnecessary anxiety. The official response targets a recent wave of concerns spreading online, including the idea that younger generations can no longer afford to support elderly relatives and concerns over the sustainability and fairness of the pension system. The article, titled "Pension to Collapse? Using Three Accounts to Penetrate Cognitive Fog," argues that such claims overly simplify complex financial dynamics. According to the article, China's basic pension insurance system operates under a combination of a social pooling system and personal accounts. It emphasizes that pension benefits are not simply a one-way burden from younger to older generations but a sustained inter-generational contract where contributions generate future entitlements. The text highlights discrepancies in pension levels between urban and rural areas and retirees in different sectors of the economy. It notes that while the state claims pension disparity issues need attention and that efforts are made to narrow these gaps through reform, criticism from scholars and the public remains largely unaddressed. Internet users have shown little enthusiasm for The People's Daily's explanation. Many feel that formal statements should align more closely with actual experiences. Critics argue that policies such as increasing the length of pension contributions and delaying retirement age, coupled with annual base wage hikes, disproportionately affect ordinary citizens. The disparity between urban and rural pension coverage and benefits remains a primary area of contention. Younger netizens are particularly frustrated, expressing a sense of injustice in a system where they feel they support elderly retirees who have historically not contributed, while their working parents do not benefit from current pension schemes.