BEIJING, March 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — “33 million families have received child-rearing subsidies” and “an integrated elderly care service network covering urban and rural areas has taken initial shape”… At the press conference for the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) on people’s livelihood, the performance sheets from multiple departments were filled with meticulous care for “the elderly and children.”
The “elderly” are our treasure, and the “children” embody our future. “The elderly and children” are the softest spot of every family – and they are also a key concern for the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, has always kept them close to his heart. In communities, schools, and ordinary people’s homes, he has repeatedly chatted with seniors about family life and held hands with children. We should “create better conditions” for the elderly “to enjoy happy and fulfilling twilight years.” “We need to strengthen efforts in the nurturing and education of children”… These earnest instructions warm the heart, reflecting the values of a major Party and a great nation, and mirroring the warm journey of improving people’s livelihood.
At this year’s “two sessions,” policies have been further strengthened. “Upgrade elderly care, childcare” has been written into the Government Work Report, while announcements at press conferences – such as “upgrading and renovating 2,000 public elderly care institutions” and “supporting the establishment of at least one comprehensive child care service center in each prefecture-level city” – turn every policy into smiles on the faces of ordinary people. How can this be achieved?
It all comes down to execution. Good policies paired with solid implementation are the key code to China’s governance – seizing the present while winning the future.
In recent years, rural areas in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province have faced new challenges and difficulties in caring for left-behind elderly and children, particularly in daily life support, healthcare access, and emotional companionship. How to address them? Yunnan has approached caring for “the elderly and children” with the same intensity as poverty alleviation, making it a major livelihood priority under the joint responsibility of “five levels of Party secretaries” province-wide. This has created a normalized working mechanism with clear leadership, dedicated implementation, and accountability follow-up, continuously yielding substantial results for people’s livelihood.
A hot meal, a medical visit, a moment of companionship, a class session… From policies that “touch the heart” to implementation that “reaches the heart,” the approaches have become more detailed, the requirements more concrete, and the focus more precise. By persistently tackling the livelihood challenges of “the elderly and children,” we can transform the worries weighing on hundreds of millions of families into sources of warmth.
It relies on innovation. By optimizing resource allocation and fostering coordinated reforms, sustained innovation has transformed “dilemmas” into “win-wins.”
In Shenzhen’s Dapeng New District “elderly and children” service center, on one side, seniors are trying out smart mobility aids; on the other, toddlers in daycare are enjoying outdoor play. A sharp-eyed little granddaughter spots her grandmother across the way and breaks into a smile. This heartwarming moment, captured in the tender intergenerational bond, showcases the innovative effects of “intergenerational integration, spatial consolidation, service bundling, and multi-role staffing.”
Across the country, new models benefiting “the elderly and children” are emerging one after another. This inspires us that by adapting to local conditions and implementing creatively, we can unlock greater livelihood dividends with smaller resource inputs.
It relies on tapping potential. The process of improving people’s well-being is also one of uncovering drivers for economic growth and new dynamics.
At the livelihood-themed press conference, several fresh terms and figures caught attention: the inclusion of “elderly care service specialists” as a new occupation; during the Spring Festival holiday, the number of passengers aged 60 and above buying their “first-ever flight ticket” on certain platforms rose by more than 20 percent… These show that elderly care is not just a livelihood issue – it can also become a growth point for new jobs and new consumption, injecting “silver-haired vitality” into economic expansion.
“The elderly and children” represent both a social issue and a topic for economic growth. By promoting integrated “property management + domestic services” models, “temporary children” and “stand-in parents” have become highly popular; smart caregiving robots are easing the burden of caring for disabled seniors… By leveraging the livelihood needs of “the elderly and children” to open up new spaces for industrial development, while using industrial innovations to effectively address their urgent difficulties and concerns, we can achieve the virtuous cycle of developing industries to improve people’s well-being and advancing development through better livelihoods.
“The elderly and children” concern the well-being of millions of families. When we take good care of the elderly and nurture children with dedication, the superiority of the socialist system will be further demonstrated, and China’s socioeconomic development will continue to brighten its foundation of people’s livelihood.
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SOURCE Global Times
