The Ministry of Civil Affairs held a special press conference on the 13th to brief the public on the Several Measures for Cultivating Business Entities in the Elderly Care Service Sector and Promoting the Development of the Silver Economy. At the conference, Wang Bo, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Trade in Services of the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), stated that to further foster and develop business entities in the elderly care service sector, increase the supply of high-quality elderly care services, and boost the development of the silver economy, MOFCOM will focus on five key areas of work, which can be summarized as providing support through the implementation of the "Two Integrations and Three Developments" initiative.

As outlined by Wang Bo, the "Two Integrations" are as follows:First, MOFCOM will integrate elderly home care services with domestic services. Domestic service enterprises are an important force in providing services for the elderly. Last year, MOFCOM and eight other government departments issued several measures to expand and upgrade consumption in the domestic service sector, proposing to advance the integrated development of the "domestic services + elderly care" model and support domestic service enterprises in participating in community elderly care services. This year, MOFCOM will push for the issuance of policies and measures to advance the high-quality development of the domestic service industry, continue to implement the Initiative for Promoting Domestic Services to Boost Rural Vitalization, drive the improvement of the standardization, professionalization and industrialization of domestic services, and expand the effective supply of high-quality domestic services. These measures will help meet the home-based elderly care service needs of the elderly population.

Second, MOFCOM will integrate the development of convenient living circles with targeted services for the elderly and children. MOFCOM takes the lead in developing 15-minute convenient living circles, where elderly care services are designated as a essential business format. As of July 2025, a total of 6,255 convenient living circles have been built in 210 pilot areas across the country, covering 1.503 million commercial outlets engaged in elderly care, domestic services and other businesses, and serving a population of 129 million. MOFCOM will continue to step up efforts to expand and upgrade urban 15-minute convenient living circles, focus on addressing the urgent difficulties and practical concerns of the people, prioritize meeting the care needs of the elderly and children, and further optimize the supply of community services.

Wang Bo noted that the "Three Developments" are as follows:MOFCOM will continue to develop a platform for matching supply and demand in the elderly care sector. Last year, the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) set up a Health and Elderly Care Zone, which attracted 7 overseas enterprises to participate in the exhibition. The 137th and 138th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) both featured a special Silver Economy Zone. The 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) showcased a number of outstanding products and services focusing on hot topics such as smart elderly care, aging-friendly renovations and elderly care finance. The 5th China International Consumer Products Expo (Hainan Expo) displayed a concentrated range of aging-friendly products in its Health Industry Zone. Going forward, MOFCOM will continue to leverage major exhibition platforms to introduce more high-quality elderly products and services, encourage enterprises to organize the exhibition of aging-friendly products, and showcase more new technologies, new business forms and new achievements in the elderly care service sector.