China reports major improvements in welfare for children, elderly over past 5 years

BEIJING -- Over the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), welfare for children and the elderly in China has seen significant improvements, China's Minister of Civil Affairs Lu Zhiyuan said on Friday.

During this period, a comprehensive protection and care system for children in need was established, covering de facto unattended children, "left-behind" children whose parents work far from home, and migrant children, all of whom are now included within the country's protection and care services, Lu told a press conference.

De facto unattended children primarily refer to children whose parents are both missing, severely disabled, critically ill, imprisoned, deported, or subject to compulsory drug rehabilitation.

Lu said that compared to 2020, the basic living allowances for orphans in welfare institutions, orphans living with their families, and de facto unattended children have increased by 26 percent, 32 percent and 31 percent, respectively.

During the same period, China completed home renovations and redesign of elderly-friendly facilities for 2.24 million households with elderly people facing special difficulties, Lu said.

He added that China has established 500 model community-based eldercare service networks, 2,990 model elderly-friendly communities, and 86,000 community canteens for seniors.

Various subsidies and allowances, including those for very old people, senior citizens experiencing financial hardship, and seniors with disabilities, have benefited over 49.4 million people, according to the minister.