Beijing's senior service centers reach 380

BEIJING - Beijing has opened 380 senior service centers as of November, including 230 built this year, the Beijing municipal government announced.

The senior service centers provide seniors with daytime care, emergency calls, cultural entertainment and psychological services. They also serve meals and help seniors keep healthy.

"As the aging population trend becomes more serious, elder care services are increasingly important for the government," said Wang Ning, deputy mayor of Beijing.

"Beijing should make great efforts to solve existing problems such as an inadequate amount and low level of service and imbalance between urban and rural areas," Wang said.

The aging population is becoming a social issue in China. According to a report released by the Beijing municipal government, by the end of 2016, the number of Beijing citizens above the age of 60 had reached 3.92 million, accounting for almost a quarter of the population, compared to 17 percent in 2006.