China strengthens disability support systems in 14th Five-Year Plan period
At a press conference held in Beijing on Tuesday, senior officials from the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF) outlined the major achievements in disability support during the period and shared new goals for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).
"The enrollment rate of children and adolescents with disabilities in compulsory education in China has reached 97 percent, with over 30,000 disabled students entering universities each year," said Cheng Kai, chairman of the CDPF, at the press conference.
The next five-year plan is set to prioritize high-quality development in the disability sector, according to the press conference.
LEARNING AND EARNING
According to Cheng, China's education system for individuals with disabilities has undergone further improvement. Currently, 75,800 students with disabilities study in secondary vocational schools nationwide, while 59,800 attend regular high schools.
Li Dongmei, vice chair of the federation, noted that a special campaign was launched to equip school campuses with assistive devices, benefiting nearly 100,000 students with disabilities. Standardized textbooks have been developed for special schools, as well as sign-language textbooks for nine subjects.
Financially, in 2025, the per capita subsidy for students with disabilities receiving compulsory education was increased to more than 7,000 yuan (about 980 U.S. dollars) per year. Those whose families have financial difficulties are eligible to receive 12 years of free education from primary school to senior high school.
With stronger educational and financial support, individuals with disabilities are better equipped to enter the workforce. The annual net income of families with disabled members in China grew at an average rate of 6.9 percent per year from 2020 to 2023, roughly matching the pace of the country's GDP growth, according to Cheng.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, more than 400,000 persons with disabilities were newly employed every year, Li said. The employment rate of the disabled population grew by nearly 5 percentage points.
BETTER ACCESS, BETTER CARE
The participation rate of persons with disabilities in China's basic medical insurance has remained above 95 percent. Meanwhile, over 90 percent of persons with disabilities in China are covered by basic pension insurance for both urban and rural residents, said Cheng.
By June 2025, living allowances for the disabled in financial difficulty and nursing subsidies for the severely disabled had benefited 11.88 million and 16.4 million, respectively.
A total of 10.5 million persons with disabilities are covered by the country's subsistence allowance system, Cheng added.
Public services have also been enhanced to improve the lives of persons with disabilities. A nationwide campaign for barrier-free home renovations benefited 1.28 million households with severely disabled members during the period, surpassing the original target of 1.1 million, Cheng said.
China is also exploring the use of advanced technologies such as smart bionic hands and guide robots to improve the well-being of persons with disabilities, ensuring that scientific and technological progress benefits this community.
Zhou Changkui, chairperson of the Board of Executive Directors of the CDPF, said that the federation and some other governmental departments have jointly issued a guiding document to promote the use of technology in supporting persons with disabilities. It is also collaborating with universities, research institutes and high-tech companies to boost the development of relevant technologies and industries.
TOWARD A FAIRER, SMARTER FUTURE
As China charts a path for the 15th Five-Year Plan, the emphasis on high-quality development in the disability sector remains central, with a focus on stronger support systems and innovation-driven solutions.
A key focus will be improving livelihood security for persons with disabilities. Efforts will include refining basic, inclusive, and guaranteed social protection systems, as well as better support for persons with disabilities in rural areas, said Zhou.
Public services will also see significant upgrades. Zhou noted that long-term care for the severely disabled and rehabilitation programs for children with autism will be expanded in the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
Zhou said that to safeguard equal rights, China will revise and step up enforcement of key disability-related laws. Enhanced legal services and stronger judicial protections will help ensure that persons with disabilities can fully enjoy fairness and justice.
Moreover, during the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will continue to promote the application of artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies to serve persons with disabilities, and ensure that advanced technologies better meet their needs, according to Zhou.
The plan will also highlight cultural and spiritual wellbeing. Community-based sports and cultural programs will be expanded, while greater support will be extended to persons with disabilities in artistic creation and cultural industries. As Zhou emphasized, achieving a better life for people living with disabilities means enriching both body and spirit.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
18 minutes ago
- The Star
German business sentiment rises, but recovery faces external threats
BERLIN, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Germany's business confidence rose in July to its highest level in over a year, a survey showed Friday. However, economists cautioned that the recovery remains fragile amid persistent external headwinds, including the U.S. tariffs threat. The ifo Business Climate Index, based on a survey of around 9,000 companies, edged up to 88.6 in July from 88.4 in June, marking the seventh consecutive month of improvement. While firms expressed a more favorable view of current business conditions, their expectations for the months ahead remained subdued. Sentiment in the manufacturing sector improved slightly but stayed at relatively low levels. The ifo Institute reported that industrial capacity utilization rose from 70 percent to 77.2 percent, though this still reflects below-average levels amid weak incoming orders. In contrast, the services sector posted a decline, driven in part by a significant deterioration in expectations among IT service providers. Analysts said the downturn may be linked to heightened uncertainty, as the European Union considers retaliatory measures including tariffs or regulatory actions against U.S. technology and digital firms in response to proposed trade actions by Washington. "Companies were slightly more satisfied with current business, but their expectations remained largely unchanged," said ifo President Clemens Fuest. "The upturn in the German economy remains sluggish." Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING Research, described the mood as a "wave of optimism" but warned that the outlook is clouded by trade tensions, a stronger euro, and the threat of U.S. tariffs -- all factors that could weigh on Germany's export-driven economy. A separate ifo survey published Thursday underscored growing concern among German manufacturers. More than 60 percent of 1,500 companies surveyed reported being negatively impacted by the U.S. tariffs, which are set to take effect on Aug. 1 with duties of 30 percent. One-third of respondents said they expect the U.S. market to lose importance by the end of President Donald Trump's term. Trade tensions are already shaping investment decisions: around 30 percent of companies said they had postponed their U.S. expansion plans, while 15 percent had canceled them altogether. Despite the external pressures, Brzeski noted that German companies are increasingly turning their attention to opportunities under the new government's economic agenda. Earlier this week, the German government, in collaboration with major corporations, launched a sweeping investment plan at a business summit in Berlin. Valued at 631 billion euros (739 billion U.S. dollars), the initiative aims to revive Europe's largest economy through 2028, focusing on manufacturing, research and development, and infrastructure construction. (1 euro = 1.17 U.S. dollar)
The Star
29 minutes ago
- The Star
Botswana implements initiatives, reforms to counter U.S. tariff impacts: bank official
GABORONE, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Botswana is implementing several initiatives and structural reforms to mitigate the potential adverse effects of U.S. tariffs on the southern African country, a Bank of Botswana official said on Friday. "Despite this challenge of U.S. tariffs on Botswana diamonds, there are several government initiatives and structural reforms, which are expected to improve the business environment and strengthen fiscal resilience," said Innocent Molalapata, director of Research and Financial Stability Department at the Bank of Botswana. During an economic media briefing, Molalapata said the initiatives include tax review and revenue maximization, enhanced public financing and debt management, as well as the Botswana Transformation Economic Program, a national blueprint to reshape the country's economy from being consumption-driven to investment-oriented and innovation-led. Meanwhile, Molalapata said Botswana's real gross domestic product is expected to contract by 0.4 percent in 2025, reflecting the prevailing unfavorable economic conditions, the weaker-than-expected economic growth, and the impacts of U.S. tariffs. Botswana faces a 37 percent tariff on exports to the United States. According to Daily News Botswana, President Duma Boko said in June that the tariff imposed on Botswana worsened the already bleak future faced by the diamond industry, and the U.S. tariff tensions had been a daunting challenge, likely to hinder efforts to grow the African economy. A World Bank report in April suggested that diamond exports account for more than 90 percent of Botswana's total exports.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Feature: Rewriting norms -- Emirati women thrive in traditionally male domains
DUBAI, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Amid the roaring hum of towering cranes at Dubai's Jebel Ali Port, Emirati engineer Hind Al-Kaabi skillfully directs a series of precise maneuvers to load enormous containers onto a cargo ship heading to South Asia. In a professional setting long dominated by men in the country, Al-Kaabi distinguishes herself as one of many Emirati women challenging traditional gender roles. "When I started working here five years ago, most of my colleagues were men," said Al-Kaabi, now a senior operations supervisor in the automation department at DP World, a multinational logistics company based in Dubai. "Today, we have a fully Emirati women's team managing smart crane systems and even developing algorithms to optimize shipping operations," she added proudly. "We don't just ask for equality -- we practice it on the ground." Women's empowerment is a key pillar of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s Vision 2031, which promotes increased female participation in economic, scientific, and technological sectors, especially in traditionally male-dominated fields. "We are working to remove cultural and institutional barriers to women's participation," said Mona Al Marri, vice president of the UAE Gender Balance Council, in an earlier statement. "We encourage women to enter fields once seen as off-limits, like aviation, artificial intelligence, mechanical engineering, and maritime transport." Al-Kaabi is not alone in challenging the workplace norms. In Sharjah, materials science graduate Noura Al-Suwaidi now supervises a production line at one of the UAE's new industrial robotics factories -- part of the country's national industrial strategy. "I oversee more than 20 robots on assembly lines," said Al-Suwaidi. "My role is not just operating them, but also monitoring performance and refining the software. This used to be a male-only environment, but now it's a natural space for ambitious Emirati women." In Abu Dhabi, Fatima Al-Naqbi leads a research team at the Nawah Energy Company's nuclear research center. "Working in nuclear energy was never considered a traditional path for Emirati girls," said Al-Naqbi. "But today, the state, family, and society all encourage it." Recent data from the UAE Ministry of Community Empowerment shows that the percentage of Emirati women working in engineering and technical fields rose from about 17 percent in 2015 to over 35 percent by 2025 -- a clear sign of accelerating integration of women into advanced sectors. Leadership roles have also seen growth: women now hold nearly 28 percent of leadership positions in semi-governmental companies, thanks to localization and gender balance policies designed to promote women's involvement in decision-making. At DP World, female participation in operational and field roles has doubled in the past three years, driven by the company's "Towards Full Partnership" initiative aimed at attracting and developing female talent in nontraditional workspaces. Federal and local UAE institutions now offer mentorship and training programs to young women as early as high school, paving the way for careers in technical and industrial fields. These efforts are supported by organizations such as the UAE Gender Balance Council and the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council. "Empowerment is not a feminist slogan -- it's an economic and developmental necessity," said Maryam Al-Hammadi, policy director at the Ministry of Community Empowerment. "The country cannot realize its future competitiveness without investing in the full potential of both men and women." For Al-Kaabi, the transformation is more than just numbers. "Every morning when I put on my helmet and walk along the dock," she said, "I feel like I'm not just carrying a work bag -- I'm carrying the responsibility of opening a new path for the women of my generation."
