This Day, That Year

Item from Aug 21, 1998, in China Daily: Older residents in Dongcheng district of Beijing chat in the Andingmen Activity Center for elderly people ... In China, 9.7 percent of the population is above the age of 60. That could rise to 10 percent by 2000 and nearly 25 percent by 2040 ... China plans to overhaul its pension system this year with a view to reducing regional and sectoral disparities. A new pension system will ask each province to adopt a unified pension standard, disregarding differences between industrial sectors or cities.

China had more than 212 million senior citizens aged 60 and older by the end of last year, making up about 15.5 percent of the population, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

The aging population is expected to nearly double to about 400 million by 2050, accounting for one-third of the total population. The central government has rolled out a slew of measures to cope with the problem.