China Economic Information Service (CEIS):

In recent years, China has experienced significant trends, including an aging population and a declining birth rate, leading to a higher proportion of elderly citizens. Despite these changes, there remains a gap between the existing elderly care and childcare services and the actual needs of the population. What considerations does the NDRC have in terms of elderly care and childcare services? Thank you.

Liu Sushe:

I will answer this question. Elderly care and childcare services affect hundreds of millions of families and are among the most practical problems that are of the greatest and most direct concern to the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to elderly care and childcare services and has issued important instructions and directives many times.

Work should be emphasized on advancing Chinese modernization with support from the high-quality development of the population. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council have pursued a proactive national strategy in response to population aging, refined childbirth policies to promote the long-term balanced development of the population, and made a series of major arrangements to improve the elderly care and childcare service systems. The NDRC actively implements and continuously improves elderly care and childcare services in three aspects: expanding supply of services , optimizing existing capacity, and improving quality.

First, we will expand supply of services. To proactively adapt to population aging and meet the growing demand for elderly care and childcare services, the NDRC has revised and issued an implementation plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan, responding actively to the aging population and constructing an elderly care and childcare service system, giving full play to the demonstration and driving role of investment from the central government. A total of 21.8 billion yuan from the central budget was allocated from 2021 to 2023 to drive the expansion of elderly care and childcare services in various regions. In 2024, China will further increase investment support within the central budget, focusing on the building of the "elderly care and childcare" facility service system. At present, the number of childcare centers per 1,000 people in China has reached 3.3, an increase of 0.8 from 2023. Forty-eight prefectures and cities across the country have launched pilot projects for the construction of comprehensive childcare service centers, which will be further promoted on a larger scale in the future. At the same time, we will also promote professional community-based elderly care institutions through investment-led mechanisms, so that people can enjoy elderly care services nearby.

Second, we will optimize existing capacity. The Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan proposes building a senior care service system that coordinates home-based and community-based institutions and combines medical and health care. Through the continuous promotion of structural adjustments, the proportion of nursing beds in nursing homes exceeded 60% in 2023, achieving the goals listed in the 14th Five-Year Plan ahead of schedule. In the next stage, we will also organize localities to implement several professional and large-scale integrated medical and nursing care projects to improve the overall standard of elderly care services. At the same time, to effectively address the practical problems of insufficient childcare supply and abundant kindergarten resources, we will work with relevant departments to promote the coordinated allocation of childcare services for children aged 0 to 6 years across various places. By supporting kindergartens with declining enrollments in transitioning to childcare services or other developments, we aim to promote an orderly connection between service provisions for children aged 0 to 3 and 3 to 6 years.

Third, we will improve quality. In 2023, China's population aged 60 and over accounted for 21.1% of the total, marking the entry into a moderately aging society , which places higher requirements on the quality of elderly care products and services. This year's "No.1 central document" issued by the central authorities focuses on developing the silver economy and improving the well-being of the elderly and proposes 26 policy measures. Next, we will work with relevant departments to fully implement these policies. At the same time, to further improve childcare services, we will also work with relevant departments to organize and implement the quality assessment of childcare institutions, ensuring that policies are implemented earnestly so that people can receive better services. Thank you.

Chen Wenjun:

Thank you to all the speakers and journalists for your participation. Today’s briefing is hereby concluded. See you next time.

Translated and edited by Liu Sitong, Wang Qian, Li Xiao, Wang Yanfang, Xiang Bin, Huang Shan, Wang Ziteng, Li Huiru, Cui Can, Zhang Junmian, Qin Qi, Yuan Fang, Yan Bin, Ma Yujia, David Ball, Jay Birbeck, and Rochelle Beiersdorfer. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.