BEIJING听–听颁丑颈苍补听has issued听驳耻颈诲补苍肠别听to all provinces to build a听产补蝉颈肠听别濒诲别谤濒测听肠补谤别听蝉测蝉迟别尘听by听2025, state-run Xinhua news agency said on Sunday, in the latest step to prevent a demographic crisis.
Who takes聽肠补谤别听of the聽别濒诲别谤濒测听in听颁丑颈苍补, where pensions are tiny, is one of the聽聽policymakers face as they deal with the country’s first demographic downturn since Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution.
The ruling Communist Party has mobilized resources to ensure that more vulnerable age groups are听肠补谤别d for as society ages. In 2020, citizens 65 and聽older accounted聽for 13.5% of the Chinese population, compared聽with 8.87% registered in 2010.
“Promoting the construction of the听产补蝉颈肠听别濒诲别谤濒测听肠补谤别听service聽蝉测蝉迟别尘听is an important task for implementing the national strategy of actively responding to population ageing and achieving equalization of听产补蝉颈肠听public services,” Xinhua said.
It said the guidelines require all provinces to implement a list of听产补蝉颈肠听别濒诲别谤濒测听肠补谤别听services, based on factors such as economic and social development level and financial situation.
Services included material assistance, nursing and听肠补谤别-giving, while all provinces must provide visiting and caring services for聽别濒诲别谤濒测听living alone and for families with financial difficulties.
China‘s 1980-2015 one-child policy has meant that smaller families are increasingly expected to support an aging population, while a rising number of聽别濒诲别谤濒测听are living alone.
Costly nursing homes are out of reach for many听别濒诲别谤濒测, while public options are often not suitable or desirable to live in, leaving a gap in the market for affordable quality retirement lodging, investors said.
China‘s National Health Commission projects the number of people 60 and older will grow to 400 million by 2035, from 280 million now. There will most likely be a need for about 40 million beds in community facilities and nursing homes, up from 8 million now, analysts say.
Newly built聽别濒诲别谤濒测听肠补谤别听facilities will be done in accordance with government standards, while older facilities will be renovated to provide a “safe, convenient and comfortable environment”, Xinhua said.
Provinces must improve the听产补蝉颈肠听pension聽蝉测蝉迟别尘听service and implement a long-term聽肠补谤别听security聽蝉测蝉迟别尘听that connects insurance, welfare and assistance, the statement said.
Eleven of听颁丑颈苍补‘s 31 provincial-level jurisdictions are running聽. The state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences sees the pension聽蝉测蝉迟别尘听running out of money by 2035. – Reuters
