The Law on Building Accessible Environments, which took effect in September 2023, is China"s first dedicated law on accessible environment development, providing comprehensive and systematic provisions on accessible facilities, information and communication, and public services.

　　The implementation of the law has helped strengthen the regulatory framework for accessible environment development, with several laws introduced since then incorporating accessibility provisions from different perspectives.

　　China now has more than 260 national standards covering accessibility and age-friendly improvements, it said.

　　The development of accessible infrastructure has also accelerated. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), nearly 70,000 residential communities underwent accessibility and age-friendly renovations, and about 135,000 elevators were installed in existing buildings, according to the report.

　　The availability of accessibility facilities at highway service areas and on urban roads has increased significantly, with coverage reaching or approaching 100 percent in several provincial-level regions, it added.

　　China is home to about 85 million people with disabilities. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), efforts will be made to ensure their equal participation in society through better access to rehabilitation, education, employment and social security services.

　　By the end of 2025, China had 323.38 million people aged 60 and above, or 23 percent of the population, a figure projected to exceed 400 million by around 2035.

　　The report also called for leveraging advances in digital technologies and AI to make accessible environments smarter and more diverse, while integrating accessibility, age-friendly and child-friendly upgrades to improve people"s well-being across society.

　　(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)