China to encourage employment, business start-ups among ex-service personnel

BEIJING -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang has signed a State Council decree issuing a regulation on promoting employment and business start-ups among the country's ex-service personnel.

Scheduled to take effect on Aug. 1, the regulation aims to better leverage the human resources of military veterans, safeguard their lawful rights and interests, and foster greater public reverence for military service as a profession.

Efforts in that regard will combine universal support with preferential policies, and will feature a coordinated approach involving government promotion, market guidance, and social support, according to the regulation.

To strengthen relevant training for the veterans, vocational skills training for them will be incorporated into the country's lifelong vocational skills training policy and implementation framework, with provisions covering transition training, free vocational skills training, and training subsidies.

Government agencies, people's organizations, public institutions, and state-owned enterprises may appropriately relax age and educational requirements for military veterans when recruiting or hiring personnel, and preference shall be given to veterans in recruitment where other conditions among the candidates are equal, the regulation reads.

It also specifies supportive policies for veterans starting businesses, including tax incentives, financing, and credit support, calling on local governments to support and guide veterans with entrepreneurial aspirations and training needs to participate in entrepreneurship training.