Xi Yanchun:

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to today’s policy briefing. Recently, the State Council executive meeting discussed two issues: strengthening the protection of left-behind children in rural areas, and measures for promoting the development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Today I am so grateful to have invited some ministers and officials to brief us on these two issues. Zou Ming, vice-minister of Civil Affairs, Wang Dinghua, deputy director of the Basic Education Department of the Ministry of Education, and Liu Shaowu, deputy director of the Public Security Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, will introduce to us the work related with the protection of left-behind children. Yu Wenming, vice-chief of the State Administration of TCM, will introduce to us measures for further promoting the development of TCM. Let’s first invite Mr Zou and Mr Yu to give us introductions and then go to the Q&A session.

Now welcome, Mr Zou.

Zou Ming:

Good morning, friends from the press. The State Council executive meeting on Jan 27 approved the opinions on reinforcing the protection of left-behind children in rural areas, which has already been published.

Left-behind children have the right to enjoy basic public services such as education, medical care and social security. Some children have mental problems due to a lack of care and guardianship because of being separated from their parents. They need more care from society because they are more vulnerable. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council pay much attention to the protection of left-behind children. President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have talked about this issue several times, giving clear requirements for the protection of left-behind children. The Opinions on the Care and Protection of Left-Behind Children is the first document of its kind to make clear measures and mechanisms for the protection of minors. It is also the mechanism innovation for the protection of minors and also provides a policy to follow for the implementation of the Minor Protection Law.

Zou Ming:

Enforcing the protection of left-behind children in rural areas and protecting the legal rights of minors are important responsibilities of governments at all levels and also the responsibility of the family and all of society. The Opinions proposed establishing and improving the service system for the care of left-behind children in rural areas jointly by family, government, school and society. First, the Opinions put forward measures for strengthening the main responsibility for family vigilance and enforcing family guardianship supervision. Second, the people’s government of counties and townships as well as villagers committees are asked to visit these children and learn basic information and make sure they are being taken good care of. Third, education departments and schools have to take specific measures to guarantee their education, health and security. Fourth, groups and organizations should provide services such as day care, psychological counseling and education instruction. Fifth, social forces are encouraged to provide special services to left-behind children. Social organizations and enterprises are encouraged to establish child care and nursery centers.

The Opinions is based on related laws and regulations, and summaries from the test areas. A help and protect mechanism is designed with various components, including compulsive reporting, emergency management, evaluation and support, and supervision. All these have specific descriptions in the document, which can protect left-behind children who are at risk.

Zou Ming:

The Opinions strengthens protection measures for left-behind children. It asks local governments to set up and improve the leadership mechanism; financial departments at various levels should optimize the outlay structure; and facilities should be enhanced. The document proposes reducing the number of left-behind children in the long-term. It asks for more support for migrant workers’ families and guidance for them to start their own businesses in their hometowns. The Opinion asks that specific plans be made according to conditions in different places. The State Council will supervise how the document is implemented for some time.

Xi Yanchun:

Thank you, Mr Zou. Mr Yu Wenming’s introduction is next.

Yu Wenming:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. At the State Council executive meeting held on Feb 14, 2016, a strategic development plan for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) (2016-2030) was discussed. The last time the State Council released a document to promote TCM was in April 2009. It shows that the CPC Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to the development of the TCM industry, and hope it will play its role in medical reform.

The strategic plan made clear the guiding ideas, basic principles and major tasks of TCM development. It has important meaning in revitalizing the industry, accelerating the reform of medical and healthcare system and developing the system into one with Chinese characteristics.

Yu Wenming:

The strategic plan for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has five development concepts of innovation, coordination, eco-friendliness, openness and sharing. It sticks to the guideline that TCM and Western medicine are equal, follows the development laws of TCM and promotes a combination of TCM and Western medicine. Its theme is inheriting and innovating TCM, and the plan focuses on improving the standards of TCM and perfecting the management and policy mechanism, and is led by the thought of safeguarding people’s health. Its basic principles are people-centered and serve the public, innovate and highlight characteristics, deepen reform and stimulate vitality, make overall consideration and achieve coordinated development.

Yu Wenming:

It also proposed goals in two phases: By 2020, almost everyone can enjoy basic TCM services, and TCM medical services will be further improved. For the first time, the plan suggested an assurance of 0.55 beds per 1,000 residents at public TCM hospitals, and in medical clinics, 0.4 TCM doctors per 1,000 residents, and the total TCM industry value must take up more than 30 percent of the whole pharmaceutical industry and make the TCM industry one of the pillar industries of the national economy. By 2030, TCM services should cover almost all the areas of society, and the service should be further improved, and it also will contribute more to economic and social development and people’s health.

The plan also proposed 24 key tasks in seven aspects. First, improve TCM medical services and perfect the service networks covering both urban and rural areas; second, develop health care services related to TCM and improve its health care; third, advance the heritage of TCM, protect TCM knowledge and strengthen TCM education; fourth, promote the innovation of TCM, overcome serious diseases and perfect the coordination innovation mechanism of TCM and Western medicine; fifth, upgrade the standards of TCM and make full use of TCM resources; sixth, expand the cultural influence of TCM; seventh, promote overseas development of TCM and expand outbound communication.

Yu Wenming:

Based on these key tasks, the strategy will carry out 10 projects and three action plans. In order to accomplish the tasks and goals, it also set five supporting measures: improve legal support, perfect the standards, increase policy support, cultivate more talented TCM people and promote informationization of TCM. At the same time, it also set clear requirements for the leadership of the TCM industry. First, strengthen the leadership of the plan and perfect the inter-ministry conference system; second, innovate the TCM management system and set up a government management system at all levels; third, create a good social environment for promoting the TCM industry and involve basic TCM knowledge in middle and primary school lessons.

According to the plan, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine will enhance communication with other departments of the State Council in the future, and implement the details of the plan.

Thank you!

Xi Yanchun:

Thanks for Mr Yu’s introduction. Next, it’s time for questions. According to the routine practice, please identify yourself before asking the questions. Now, please.

China National Radio:

According to a new policy regarding left-behind children, efforts should be made to strengthen family custody of left-behind children and urge and direct their parents who leave to work in urban areas to take the responsibility of custody. At the same time, the policy also targets the care of rural left-behind children. So, how will the policy be implemented, and how will irresponsible parents be held accountable by law? Thank you.

Zou Ming:

The Opinions stressed the family’s custody responsibility and explicitly emphasized the four principles of care for rural left-behind children. The primary principle is family responsibility. As we all know, family is the best environment for children’s growth. Love and family care is a fundamental guarantee for the development of children’s physical and psychological health. As juveniles’ guardian, parents are important and irreplaceable in children’s care and education. According to the current situation, most parents who work in rural areas can take their parental responsibility through constant communication with their children and knowledge of their children’s life, education, and psychological condition.

But, there are some parents who neglect their responsibility. They rarely go back home to see and communicate with their children. Some don’t even contact their children, leaving damage to the physical and psychological health of the left-behind children.

Zou Ming:

I want to stress that this kind of irresponsible act is against family ethics and morals and they will be held accountable if the act causes serious consequences because our laws explicitly stipulates that parents or other guardians have the responsibility to take the custody of children and raise them. For example, the 19th clause of the law on prevention of juvenile delinquency stipulates that juveniles’ parents or guardians should not let children under the age of 16 live alone and without custody. The 16th clause of the law on the protection of minors stipulates that if parents are not able to take the responsibility of custody due to work and other reasons, they should entrust the custody responsibility to other people who are able to take the custody responsibility. Thus, the policy explicitly stresses that migrant workers should try their best to take the children with them or one of the parents should stay at home to take care of them. If they indeed cannot take the children with them, they should entrust relatives or other capable adults to take the custody responsibility of their children. So we put forward this policy to advocate government and society to take care of rural left-behind children, which does not mean that parents can just leave their children and work far away from home. In line with laws, the policy proposes strengthened efforts on family education guidance and custody supervision. For neglect of custody responsibility, family violence, children abuse and abandonment, the policy stipulates several measures, including admonishing, education, security penalties, investigation, or even loss of their custody rights.

It is very realistic to strengthen guidance on family education and custody supervision. It is also important to identify the responsibilities of governments and families, to supervise parents working away from home to perform obligations to their under-aged children, so that the rural left-behind children are well taken care of.

Parents working away from home who refuse to fulfill their guardian responsibilities even after warnings and cause serious consequences will be held accountable according to the law. The law can effectively protect the legitimate rights of rural left-behind children. That was why we highlighted family guardianship in the document.

Zou Ming:

10 percent of planning requires 90 percent of implementation. The document raises concrete requirements on how the policies should be implemented at the grassroots level. Governments, families and society should coordinate their efforts. In order to protect left-behind children, we, especially local governments and village-level autonomous organizations, have to pay attention to the following four aspects:

First, draft a plan for implementation and set up a coordination mechanism. We should identify the responsibilities of related parties according to the document.

Second, build an information platform and a work platform. An information platform would maintain the timely flow of news so that we can take intervention measures in time. We should investigate and update the basic information of rural left-behind children, combine daily care services such as paying regular family visits with timely interventions as needed. Meanwhile, we need a good working platform, which involves related departments such as county-level children’s protection organizations in civil affairs departments, children’s welfare institutes as well as social service groups. We need overall planning on this so that our work platform can cover key areas.

Zou Ming:

Third, build a good work team. The team must be caring, responsible and well-trained. Children’s protection requires professional work and has an impact on the psychology and healthy growth of minors. Members of our team would come from professionals in related government departments, service staffers at related agencies, as well as social volunteers and professional social workers. We need efforts from all walks of society to make sure our policies are implemented. For regions with a large number of left-behind children, we should enhance our support and put our focus there. We should organize special trainings to cultivate professional social workers and social organizations to engage in our work.

Fourth, establish a sound supervision mechanism. The mechanism should be normalized, uninterrupted and should set some quantitative indexes.

Only if we pay attention to the above aspects can we make sure that the good policy can yield satisfactory results so that any negative results on rural left-behind children can be effectively curbed.

China Central Television (CCTV):

I’d like to ask Mr Yu: How will the development strategy make TCM more accessible? Thank you.

Yu Wenming:

Thank you. Good question. The development strategy is specifically aimed at enhancing the service of TCM, providing convenience for patients, thus making the pharmaceutical industry more accessible. That’s why the State Council chose to pass the development strategy at this time, a key period of reform in our medical system.

According to the strategy, a TCM service network covering urban and rural areas will be built, with TCM hospitals as its main part, TCM sections of general hospitals as backbones, grassroots medical and sanitary institutions as bases, and TCM clinics as supplements. In addition, more efforts will be made to strengthen the competitiveness of TCM, and construction of leading TCM hospitals in provincial or prefecture level regions will get a boost. Meanwhile, TCM services at the grassroots level will be enhanced, with every prefecture and county level region having its own TCM hospital. TCM departments will also be built in general hospitals, maternity and child care institutions, clinics in townships and community health centers.

With all these measures, we hope to improve TCM’s capability in curing major diseases, chronic diseases and common diseases. And with more supply service from TCM, we hope patients can get medical treatments at a lower cost and in an easier way.

Asahi Shimbun:

I want to confirm whether it is the first time a development strategy for TCM was compiled, and what important role did Nobel-winning Tu Youyou play in it?

Yu Wenming:

Thank you. Just now I said in my report that it is the first time we compiled a development strategy for TCM at the national level, while in the past, such work was only done within industries. In other words, it is not the first time such a strategy was compiled, but the first time at the national level, and that’s why I say it illustrates that China has added TCM to its national development strategy.

As for Chinese scientist Tu Youyou, Premier Li Keqiang spoke highly of her achievements: “It reflects China’s progress in science and technology, and is also a big contribution of TCM to human health.” The success of Tu Youyou is a combination of TCM theory and modern science and technology, a good example of innovative inheritance of TCM. She not only proved once again the status, function and value of TCM, but also reminds us the importance of innovative inheritance of the pharmaceutical industry.

China Daily:

What have the education authorities and public security administration done in recent years concerning the protection and care of left-behind children in rural areas? And what concrete measures will be taken to complement the Opinions?

Wang Dinghua:

Left-behind children in rural areas are the future and hope of the country, as are other children. Their protection is the common responsibility of all government branches, not to mention education authorities and schools.

We have completed a series of tasks concerning this issue in recent years. First, we improved the policy system. We put forward the Opinions to improve the care of left-behind children in rural areas. Second, we demonstrated caring for the children. They have priority in boarding, dining in schools and taking school buses. Third, we clarified the focus of our care. We mainly focus our care on left-behind children whose parents work far from home. And our job focuses on their security, psychological counseling, ensuring their attendance in schools and helping with their difficulties in life. Fourth, we have explored various ways of caring for them. Fifth, in the second half of 2015, the Education Ministry organized an overall examination and monitoring of care for left-behind children and urged local authorities to spread good success stories and resolve existing problems.

The Opinions concerning the protection of left-behind children, recently released by the State Council, is rather timely and of vital significance. Education authorities and schools need to learn the spirit of the document and further improve their sense of responsibility and mission in left-behind children’s caring, protection and education. According to the new requirements in the Opinions, they need to focus on the following tasks:

First, in 2016, the Ministry of Education, along with the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Ministry of Public Security, will jointly learn about the situation of all left-behind children in order to created targeted plans. Second, we will urge schools to learn about the state of minds of the left-behind children, stressing security, communication between school and their families, and training of teachers concerning caring for their psychological health. Education staffers need to go into the psychological world of left-behind children. Third, we will put forward a document on boarding schools and launch new projects to improve the conditions at boarding schools, thus providing more care for left-behind children attending boarding schools.

Fourth, according to the Opinions, we will urge county-level governments and education authorities to prevent left-behind children from dropping out and ensure their attendance in school. We must ensure that left-behind children will not drop out of school because of poverty and urge their guardians to allow them to finish their compulsory education. Fifth, we have to implement the compulsory reporting system. Schools and kindergartens need to report to public security organs as soon as they find out that left-behind children are lost, or that guardians lost custody ability, or that the children are suffering from family violence or accidental injuries.

Sixth, we need to gradually reduce the number of left-behind children. The Education Ministry will work with related authorities to urge parents to accept their guardian responsibility, encouraging one parent to take care of the children or one works from home; and to provide more support for migrant workers to start businesses or find jobs near home. We will also improve school policies to enable students whose parents have residence permits to receive compulsory education at places where their parents work. Seventh, we must ensure implementation of the policies. Education authorities and primary and middle schools across the country need to fulfill their duties and take practical measures to do the job of care, protection and education of left-behind children.

Liu Shaowu:

Among the work of public security to protect the safety of citizens, teenagers and children are an important group of people. The Ministry of Public Security has always attached great importance to the problem of left-behind children in rural areas. The question you mentioned just now are mainly about two aspects, one is recent work and the other is measures for the next step.

In the past few years, public security has made improving social order an important task. The protection of left-behind children has close ties to the construction of urbanization and new rural areas.

In the past few years, public securities nationwide have been promoting the construction of a three-dimensional public security prevention and control system. During the construction work and a series of special crackdowns, we have made rural areas - especially remote rural areas - a key working area. Meanwhile, we have taken various measures to strengthen public security management and prevention in rural areas. The bureau of public security dispatched staffers to middle and west China’s rural areas to instruct local people about the work. Some successes have been promoted during the process. The protection of left-behind children is a special task in the management of rural areas.

Liu Shaowu:

Second, continue to crack down on child trafficking, which includes a focus on rural left-behind children, a very vulnerable group. We have publicized our measures and achievements on Sina Weibo. Also, we hope to mobilize the whole society to pay attention to our work. Besides cracking down on crimes and arresting groups of criminal suspects, we have also set up mechanisms such as rapidly searching for missing children and investigation of unidentified children, including measures to collect DNA samples. Our enhanced efforts to fight child trafficking have been quite effective.

Third, strengthen campus security in rural areas. Along with the Ministry of Education, we have launched actions to guard schools and students in a bid to fix the vulnerable security conditions at schools and kindergartens in remote rural areas. We have had success in containing crimes against left-behind children. In 2015, registered criminal cases regarding schools dropped by 6.7 percent from 2014. Incidents on school campuses that have threatened security dropped 35 percent. Cases that have targeted security of teachers and students dropped 32.1 percent.

The State Council has attached great importance to the protection of left-behind children and proposed new requirements following the release of the document, which calls for public security departments to take up responsibilities in compulsory reporting, emergency management, assistance evaluation and guardianship intervention. Before the release of the document, we participated in the drafting. In order to ensure implementation, we will adopt the following measures:

Liu Shaowu:

First, strengthen work specifically targeting the issue. Public security departments across the country, especially rural police stations, should learn and implement the policy.

Second, establish an improved working mechanism. According to the State Council’s document, local public security departments should actively take part in the leading mechanism to take care of local rural left-behind children. At the same time, responsibility and missions of related police forces and police stations should be clearly defined, and working process and standards should also be stipulated. In addition, policies that protect rural left-behind children should be implemented, including timely response, emergency management, relief, protection, investigation, case briefing, and custody intervention. Some of these tasks were executed before. But some are new to us. Thus we must seriously implement them.

Third, crack down on illegal crimes. Further efforts should be made in public security in rural areas, cracking down on illegal crimes on juveniles, and creating a favorable environment for the healthy development of rural left-behind children.

Fourth, involve people in protecting the left-behind children. Further efforts should be made in promoting the success of public security in rural areas and urging the public to report illegal crimes against left-behind children, creating the awareness and social environment to protect left-behind children in rural areas.

Nippon Hoso Kyokai:

My question concerns migrant workers’ children. I think we have the same problem with migrant children as left-behind children. Some people say migrant children have better living environment than left-behind children, since they at least can live with their parents. However, I don’t think they can enjoy good living conditions, and some children cannot go to school. Would you please introduce to us what measures will be made to improve their living conditions?

Zou Ming:

That’s a good question. In a broader sense, the protection of migrant children and minors are the same. Migrant children seem to have better family care than left-behind children, but they will meet with some difficulties in education and medical care. Related departments have done much in the following aspects:

First, schools welcome all minors who want to receive an education. Better education environment can be provided for these migrant children in ways such as providing special education assistance and helping to establish private compulsory education schools. In terms of medical care and housing, related departments are considering making some specific measures to ensure these children can enjoy the same basic public services.

Second, it is the responsibility of civil administration departments to provide protection and assistance to street minors. We have done much in this respect, including working with the public security department to provide quick assistance to street minors and help them return home.

Third, we will create a series of measures to promote the mechanism design and integration of social forces. We will continue to put emphasis on this work. At present, we have carried out pilot projects in 300 counties and cities in protection of minors. We hope we can learn from these experiences to make related policies and mechanisms to provide more service and protection to the minors.

We seldom use the term “migrant children” now, as these children usually stay with their parents who move to cities for jobs. We have done a lot regarding the education of migrant workers’ children. According to the new situation, we are willing to make more efforts in this aspect.

First, we will improve the school admission policy and make schooling of migrant workers’ children more convenient. According to the State Council’s provisional regulations on residence permits, we provide compulsory education for school-age children who are residence permit holders. We will accelerate the establishment of the school admission policy for migrant workers’ children based on residence permits. We should also simplify the admission procedures and make it more convenient for migrant children to go to school.

Second, we should strengthen classified guidance and intensify the provincial government’s overall planning. Education resources will be allocated properly and the layout of urban schools and construction planning will be scientifically compiled based on different type of migrant policies. The general principle is to make sure migrant children have equal rights to go to school with their peers.

Third is to improve measures to promote the establishment of compulsory urban education and a prediction mechanism for admission capacity of the school-age population. We will require reasonable layouts of urban compulsory education schools, while prioritizing, renovating and expanding school construction and funding. We will strictly implement the construction of new urban schools equipped with residential facilities, and expand the supply of compulsory urban education.

Fourth, we will improve the management of education for migrant workers’ children, promote enrollment of these children into schools without the need to takes tests and on the principle of equality and avoid large numbers of children choosing just a few schools. Meanwhile, schools need to ensure these children enjoy the same treatment as local children.

That’s all for today’s policy briefing. Thank you.