BEIJING - China will strive to raise the coverage rate of community elderly care service institutions and facilities to over 70 percent during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Zheng Shanjie, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said on Friday.

The move aims to address home-based elderly care needs, remedy gaps in elderly service facilities in aging residential communities, and promote community services such as meal supply, medical assistance, and emergency aid, said Zheng at a press conference held on the sidelines of the ongoing national legislative session.

To address the needs of seniors with functional disabilities and dementia, China will also support equipment renewal in elderly care institutions, renovate and upgrade 2,000 public elderly care institutions, and strive to increase the share of nursing beds in elderly care institutions to over 73 percent in the next five years, Zheng said.