March 8 — Ensuring the young are cared for and the elderly are provided for has long been a hot topic of public concern. As population aging overlaps with declining birth rates, the "one old, one young" issue has become a worldwide challenge faced by many countries, and at this year's National Two Sessions, this challenge drew the focus of many deputies and members.

In response to the "silver wave," elderly care services have become an important part of safeguarding and improving people's livelihoods. This year's government work report proposed "strengthening the construction of urban and rural community elderly care service networks" and "strengthening the supply of products and services for the elderly," among other measures.

"An elderly man in his eighties told me that, because of his advanced age and lack of physical strength, such small matters as buying groceries and cooking had become a daily worry for him and his wife. Since the community opened a canteen for seniors, they can not only enjoy tasty meals but also have more time to take part in community activities. The couple now feels very happy and content."

On the "Members' Corridor," Deng Lin, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and deputy director of the Chongqing Civil Affairs Bureau, shared this story.

This story is a microcosm of communities strengthening elderly care services. Deng Lin said that the community is the cornerstone of national governance, and services at one's doorstep directly affect people's happiness and well-being.

Beyond the supply of elderly care services, pension insurance benefits bear on the livelihood security of the elderly.

Lian Yuming, a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and founding president of the Beijing International Urban Development Research Institute, proposed in his motion that a nationwide uniform increase in farmers' pensions be launched, raising them by at least 100 yuan per person per month on the existing basis. He also called for accelerating the construction of a rural elderly care service system in the context of addressing population aging and rural revitalization, so as to solve the elderly care difficulties of advanced-age, solitary, and left-behind seniors.

In addition, this year's government work report also made a series of arrangements, including vigorously developing the silver economy and advancing the establishment of a long-term care insurance system, taking a solid step toward ensuring that "the elderly are provided for and have support."

"Providing for the elderly" addresses current challenges, while "caring for the young" bears more on the long term.

Addressing the issue of raising infants and young children, Xia Jie, a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and former vice chairperson of the All-China Women's Federation, cited a string of figures at the second plenary meeting of the Second Session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC held on the 7th: according to relevant statistical surveys in 2022, China has about 32 million infants and young children, and more than one-third of families have childcare needs, yet the enrollment rate is only about 6 percent; the number of childcare slots per 1,000 people nationwide is 2.57, still far short of the target of 4.5 slots per 1,000 people by 2025.

She suggested increasing the supply of public childcare service institutions and encouraging social forces to participate in building affordable childcare services, so that families with infants and young children can enjoy care services that are "affordable, accessible, and of good quality."

While expanding the supply of childcare services, some deputies and members also suggested optimizing the childbirth leave system and other measures to ease the burden of childbirth, child-rearing, and education on families.

For example, Peng Jing, a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC, suggested encouraging regions with the capacity to explore pilot "parental leave" programs and, on the basis of accelerated progress, gradually institutionalize them, providing parents raising children under 3 years old with one paid day of parental leave per month for both parents, as well as two days of unpaid family care leave per quarter.

In response to child-rearing challenges, this year's government work report also offered solutions: improving birth support policies, optimizing the childbirth leave system, refining the mechanism for reasonably sharing labor costs among business entities, and increasing the supply of childcare services through multiple channels, among others.

Providing for the elderly and caring for the young concerns people's well-being. In recent years, China has implemented a national strategy to actively respond to population aging, with both systematic measures to care for "the elderly" and institutional support to help "the young," lifting up a happier old age for more seniors and enabling more children to move toward a promising future.