According to the news published by Xinhua on May 28^th, Politburo of the CCP has held the 32^nd collective learning courses on the afternoon of May 27^th to study the situation and solutions of the Chinese aging problem. Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Central Committee, emphasized that, to face this problem we should combine the leadership of the Party committee, the dominant role of the government, the participation of the society and actions of all citizens together, tackling the aging problem while promoting the development of the economic society. We should try to find out the vitality and opportunities that an aging society might bring to the nation’s development, and at the same time strive to fulfill the growing material and cultural need of senior citizens in order to achieve a comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development of the aged course.

On the learning conference, Xu Shaoshi, Li liguo, Yin Weimin and Li Bin presented their opinions and advices on the situation of China’s aging population, how to improve the work and promote the development of the aged course.

Members of the Politburo of the CCP listened to their speeches attentively and discussed related topics.

Xi Jinping gave a speech when hosting the learning conference. He stressed that the aging problem is a global issue which has a profound impact on the human society. China, as a country with relatively higher degree of aged population, has the largest number of aged population in the world with the fastest aging speed and heaviest burden to cope with this issue. To satisfy various needs from a large number of senior citizens and to solve social issues brought by the aging population properly is of great importance to the development of the whole nation, so we must put great efforts to tackle this issue.

Xi Jinping pointed out that our party had always attach great importance to the aged course. The 18^th National Congress of the Communist Party and its third, fourth and fifth Plenary Session as well as the 13^th Five-year plan all raise clear requirement in terms of finding solution to the aging population, quickening the construction of elderly care service system as well as developing the silver industry. All regions and departments have increased their investment and taken more action to promote the development of the senior service program, in which great success has been achieved. At the same time, obvious deficiency still exists in our policy measure, working basis and systematic mechanism, which is far from matching senior citizens’ anticipation of a happy life.

Xi Jinping stressed that it was important to raise the whole society’s awareness of the aging population. We should view an aged society and its senior citizens from a positive perspective because the later years are still a significant phase in one’s life which can still be productive, progressive and happy. Coping with the aging population in an effective way can not only improve the living standard of senior citizens and respect their rights and dignity, but also promote economic development and social harmony. To respect and to love the old is a traditional virtue of the Chinese people, which shall be included in the spread and education of the Communist core values, giving the filial respect to senior citizens characteristics of our nation and of the time. Education shall be promoted in the whole society about our national condition of the aging population and about the laws and regulations concerning the old, in order to raise people’s awareness to accept, respect and help senior citizens as well as senior citizens’ own understand of self-respect, self-dependence and self-improvement. We should also strengthen family construction, guide people to shoulder family responsibilities and set good family customs, making families the basis of elderly care.

Xi Jinping noted that the policy and institution concerning the old shall be further improved. We should strengthen scientific study of the aged problem and borrow good experience from the international community to better the top design. Policies concerning the family support, social relief, social welfare, social courtesy, favorable environment and social participation shall be further perfected and shall be more specific, systematic and coordinated. We shall improve the auxiliary policies and regulations of senior citizens’ right protection, with an overall consideration of fertility, employment, retirement and elderly care services. We should better the elderly care and medical insurance mechanism to promote the development of the silver industry and to improve the policy measures which promotes the development of both health care and silver industry. We should establish a statistic survey mechanism reporting senior citizens’ living condition, and build a long-term caring insurance mechanism, together with senior guardian mechanism and management mechanism to categorize different elderly care institutes. We should formulate policies to support family security, to take care of the aged stay-at-home in rural areas, to assist the charity work for the old and to stimulate the growth of professionals in elderly care.

Xi Jinping emphasized on the efforts to promote the elderly care service industry and the silver industry. China has a huge number of senior citizens and the demand for senior daily necessities and service is enormous, which gives a wide space for elderly care service industry and silver industry to develop. We should actively push forward the industry by upgrading the institution, standard, facilities and professional team construction, in order to build a service system which is based on families, depended on communities, supplemented by institutions and combining with medical care to better satisfy the demand of senior citizens. We should nurture new growing point of the silver industry and complete the planning policies.

Xi Jinping noted that we should elaborate the positive effect that old people might have on the society. Senior citizens’ good virtue can influence their family members and even other social members. Having experience in solving social conflict, they are of great advantage for the maintenance of a stability and can play as role models for young citizens. We should create conditions for the old to play their part in the society, keeping them healthy, vigorous and optimistic.

Xi Jinping stressed that the senior working mechanism shall be further perfected. Innovative ideas that coincide with demand of the times shall be weaved into the work, making the aged course more active, coordinate and provident and attaching more attention to the material and cultural requirement of senior citizens to improve their living quality all around. We should improve the working mechanism which is lead by the Party committee, conducted by the government lawfully, coordinated by different departments and participated by social organizations, reaching a stage of overall cooperation. Working concerning the elderly in urban and rural communities shall be guaranteed to have people to be in charge, in order to make sure that events and difficulties of the elderly will be solved in time. We should elaborate the social participation mechanism, taking advantage of social organizations’ ability to promote the volunteer and charity work for the elderly.