China to improve quality, expand capacity of 'silver economy' for elderly

BEIJING - China will redouble its efforts to improve the quality and expand the capacity of its "silver economy," namely economic activities related to the country's large elderly population, vice-minister of Civil Affairs Tang Chengpei said on Monday.

These efforts aim to create a positive cycle combining economic development and the improvement of people's livelihoods, Tang said in his remarks at the China Development Forum 2025, which was held from Sunday to Monday.

The 10-year period from 2025 to 2035 is an important time window for China to respond proactively to the challenge of population aging, Tang said.

He outlined efforts to promote the integrated development of the elderly care industry and industries such as culture, tourism, health, sports and domestic services, to expand the scope and scenarios of elderly care services, and to advance home renovation projects offering more elderly-friendly facilities, among other efforts.

Efforts will also go into making public spaces and e-commerce platforms more senior-friendly, boosting the standardization and supervision of relevant products and services for the elderly, and advancing research and policy support for the development of the "silver economy," he said.