China pledges to improve social welfare of senior citizens

BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Chinese media) -- China's government is

working to improve social welfare for the elderly, as the country starts to feel

the pressure from its huge elderly population, according to Vice Premier Hui

Liangyu.

Hui told a national conference Thursday the

government would expand the basic old-age pension in urban areas and improve the

pension system in rural areas.

Efforts will also be made to improve welfare for the

aged, including basic health care insurance and minimum living allowances, said

Hui, also head of the China National Committee on Aging (CNCA).

China had 159.89 million people aged 60 or above by

the end of 2008, accounting for 12 percent of its population, according to the

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS). The aging population is

rising rapidly.

Hui said the international financial crisis raised

difficulties and challenges in coping with the aging population. But there are

also opportunities brought about by the government's huge economic stimulus

package, which aimed to maintain stable economic growth, improve living

standards and expand domestic consumption, and policies supporting the

undertakings relating to senior citizens.

He asked government departments and local authorities

to pay attention to the difficulties of aged people, especially those in rural

areas, and increase financial support to welfare projects for them.

By the end of last year, 219 million people in urban

areas were covered by endowment insurance, while 51.71 million people have taken

part in the insurance in rural areas.

The government announced last November a

4-trillion-yuan (586 billion U.S. dollars) stimulus package to boost domestic

demand in both infrastructure investment and consumption.

Chinese Vice Premier urges improvement of life quality for elderly

BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Chinese media) -- Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu Friday called for more efforts to improve the quality of life for China's elderly people.

China started to become an aging society in 1999, about five years before its population hit 1.3 billion in early 2005. As of the end of 2008, China has a elderly population of 160 million, accounting for 12 percent of the whole population.Full story