On November 5, the Parallel Session on Sharing Opportunities in Global Aging of the 5th Hongqiao International Economic Forum (Hongqiao Forum), co-hosted by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, and the United Nations Population Fund, was held at the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai). Guests from governments, enterprises, academia, and the research community are gathered to discuss international experience in dealing with population aging, effective paths for developing the silver economy, and opportunities for strengthening international cooperation, contributing to the “Hongqiao wisdom” of actively dealing with population aging and sharing opportunities for the development of the silver economy worldwide.

In his speech, Jiang Zhenghua, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 9th and 10th National People’s Congress, pointed out that population aging is a new issue and a global trend faced by human society, with the characteristics of a universal process, profound impact, and continuous development. It is essential to recognize and respond to the general trend of population aging and grasp the new opportunities for development brought about by population aging.

Wang Yiming, Deputy Director of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said that responding effectively to population aging is a “must-answer” question in China’s economic development and modernization process. China has elevated “actively responding to population aging” to a national strategy and has formulated a medium- and long-term plan, which will create new growth points for economic and social development by adopting systematic response measures.

Diene Keita, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), welcomed the Hongqiao Forum’s focus on global aging and stressed that actively addressing population aging is an important agenda to ensure the realization of a vision of a vibrant, happy, and healthy old-age life. UNFPA is ready to work with governments to strengthen cooperation in the area of aging to develop a “society for all ages”.

Ou Xiaoli, Director General of the Department of Social Affairs of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that China has always dealt with population aging in an integrated manner in coordinating national development and improving people’s lives, and is striving to explore a path with Chinese characteristics to deal with population aging and ensure that economic and social development is always in line with the process of population aging. In the future, China will vigorously develop its silver economy, adding new impetus to its high-quality economic development and modernization with Chinese characteristics, as well as bringing new market opportunities to the world.

Akamatsu Shuichi, Consul General of Japan in Shanghai, and Marjo Crompvoets, Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Shanghai, delivered speeches and introduced cooperation and initiatives for China.

The forum released the Research Report on China’s City Capacity Indexes in the Active Response to Population Aging 2022. Based on an objective situation, the research report aims to systematically and comprehensively reflect the positive preparations and efforts of localities in coping with population aging, which will provide a reference for localities to improve their policies and measures in a more targeted manner and guide more localities to explore solutions to adapt their economic and social development to the process of population aging.

In the roundtable discussion, representatives from UNFPA and other institutions, universities, local governments, and Chinese and foreign enterprises focused on the two topics of “Population Aging Trends and Opportunities” and “Silver Economy Market and Win-Win Cooperation”.

At the forum, the broad consensus of all parties was reached, and the initiative of “Sharing Opportunities for Global Aging” was issued. Population aging is an essential achievement of human civilization and brings common challenges as well as opportunities. The international community needs to pay great attention to it and take positive actions together to enhance consensus, improve capacity and deepen cooperation to turn the challenges of global aging into positive factors to promote economic development, social progress, and people’s happiness.

Nearly 200 guests from national ministries, research institutions and think-tank groups, domestic and international financial institutions and enterprises, local development and reform commissions, representative cities, and the media attended the parallel session.