2026CATTI 高分译文，《光明日报》文章《织密“老有善养”的法治保障网》

Weaving a Tighter Legal Safety Net for "Quality Elderly Care"

— Excerpt from an article published in Guangming Daily on August 9, 2025

The Opinions on Deepening the Reform and Development of Elderly Care Services, jointly issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council at the end of 2024, outlines China’s strategic roadmap for reforming its elderly care system. Targeting structural challenges in the new era, the document sets forth specific goals and pathways across areas such as hierarchical governance, service delivery models, coordination mechanisms, and factor support. It aims to establish a universal, inclusive, urban-rural integrated, and sustainable elderly care service system. This initiative represents not only a critical response to the severe challenges posed by an aging society but also a precise policy intervention tailored to the structural contradictions within the current system.

To ensure the successful implementation of these reforms, it is imperative to leverage the rule of law to provide solid institutional guarantees. The law serves the fundamental functions of consolidating foundations, stabilizing expectations, and benefiting long-term development. A systematic and sound legal framework offers essential institutional support for breakthroughs in reform, while strict law enforcement and impartial judicial practices stabilize market order and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly. Consequently, all measures aimed at deepening the reform of elderly care services must be advanced within the standardized framework of the rule of law. By applying rule-of-law thinking and methodologies to resolve key pain points, and through systematic institutional supply to eliminate blind spots, we can weave a comprehensive legal protection network, ultimately achieving the transformation from "basic elderly care" (lao you suo yang) to "quality elderly care" (lao you shan yang).

Currently, legislation in the field of elderly care lags behind practical needs. Issues such as the rational design of service systems, clarification of responsibility entities, regulation of rights and obligations, and the strengthening of service planning and infrastructure construction all require resolution through scientific legislation. The promotion of high-quality legislation should adhere to the objective laws governing an age-friendly society and respect the opinions of the elderly and the general public. While central-level legislation is underway, local authorities have already taken the lead in piloting relevant measures. Provinces and municipalities such as Beijing, Guangdong, and Zhejiang have prioritized empowering stakeholders and clarifying responsibilities. By defining the boundaries of responsibility for diverse entities and establishing mechanisms for protecting the rights of the elderly, they have constructed a collaborative service system involving multiple parties. These local regulations provide clear legal grounds for elderly care services within their jurisdictions, thereby driving the high-quality development of undertakings for the aged.

Strengthening law enforcement reform is crucial for implementing government responsibilities. Given the wide coverage, diverse demands, and significant urban-rural disparities characteristic of elderly care systems, issues regarding resource allocation, market management, service quality, and safety are prone to arise. Strict law enforcement is required to ensure accountability. Furthermore, improving the operational mechanism of law enforcement directly impacts public trust in the government and the rule of law. In this process, it is necessary to promote strict, standardized, impartial, and civilized law enforcement to deter violations while ensuring that enforcement remains humane. Simultaneously, deepening the reform of the law enforcement system requires strengthening source governance and innovating enforcement methods. Specifically, three measures are recommended: First, establishing an integrated supervision platform that coordinates the efforts of civil affairs, market supervision, urban management, fire safety, and other departments to enable whole-process oversight regarding qualifications, funding, quality, and safety. Second, promoting the decentralization of law enforcement personnel, authority, and resources to township and sub-district levels to ensure comprehensive regulatory coverage. Third, enhancing early warning and dispute prevention mechanisms by utilizing "12345" hotlines and integrated data platforms to achieve early problem detection and rapid dispute resolution.

Deepening judicial reform is essential to ensuring social fairness and justice in an aging society. Judicial organs should open green channels for the elderly, simplify litigation procedures, and prioritize pre-litigation mediation to provide effective judicial protection. In cases where elderly care institutions infringe upon the legitimate rights of seniors, a coordinated mechanism involving civil affairs, justice, and public security departments should be activated. Additionally, a credit scoring mechanism for the elderly care industry must be strengthened to ensure institutions fulfill their service and safety obligations. Efforts should also be made to expand the scope of judicial assistance, improve the legal aid system, and reinforce the handling mechanisms for public interest litigation by procuratorial organs, thereby building a robust protection network for victimized seniors. In adjudicating disputes related to elderly care, courts should integrate legal principles with humanitarian considerations. The Supreme People's Court has released typical cases involving the protection of the rights of the elderly to promote consistent rulings and strengthen enforcement, striving to solve the most pressing difficulties of the elderly and making elderly care services tangible, accessible, and enjoyable.

Promoting law observance among the entire population is vital for fostering a social atmosphere of respecting and caring for the aged. The Opinions advocate optimizing a service supply pattern characterized by "home-based care as the foundation, community support as the pillar, institutional care as the professional backup, and the integration of medical and elderly care." The effectiveness of this model hinges on the lawful performance of duties by service providers and managers. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance legal awareness campaigns, offering elderly care law education courses in communities and using short videos to disseminate legal knowledge and ethical values. Meanwhile, corporate social responsibility should be implemented through annual reports, responsibility lists, and credit recognition. Furthermore, cultivating a rational legal culture surrounding elderly care—particularly within families—is crucial. This includes strengthening the legal obligation of filial piety and nurturing "legal literate" figures within communities and peer groups to improve the legal literacy of the elderly themselves.

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