Xi Visits Elder-Care Facility Amid Drive for ‘Common Prosperity’
Xi Visits Elder-Care Facility Amid Drive for ‘Common Prosperity’
(Bloomberg) -- President Xi Jinping made a high-profile visit to an elderly-care facility in a Chinese province bordering Beijing, highlighting the government’s campaign to ensure more people enjoy economic well-being after decades of rapid growth.
Xi toured the government-run organization Tuesday in Chengde, in the northern province of Hebei, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The facility provides services to elderly people who are still living in their own homes, it added.
The move comes as Xi’s administration ramps up its use of the slogan “common prosperity,” signaling a shift in economic policy that aims to see the middle class enjoy more of the fruits of the nation’s economic gains.
China is also dealing with a massive demographic challenge given a rapidly aging population. The government said in late May that couples would be allowed to have a third child, a change that officially became law on Aug. 20.
Xi’s trip to Chengde, about 230 kilometers (140 miles) northeast of Beijing, also included a visit to a tree farm, during which he called on officials to do more to protect the environment.
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With assistance from Bloomberg