LocationsWelcome remarks by Ms Beate Trankmann at "Navigating the Ageing Wave: Towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Elderly Care Ecosystem"
November 29, 2025
UNDP Resident Representative in China, Beate Trankmann, gave welcome remarks at the event titled "Navigating the Ageing Wave: Towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Elderly Care Ecosystem", where UNDP launched three new reports on the Silver Economy.
尊敬的苏董事长、郝先生, Ms. Rasheed, 各位嘉宾 , 同事们，朋友们，
(Dear Chairman Su, Mr. Hao, Ms. Rasheed, Guests, Colleagues, Friends,)
早上好，欢迎大家莅临本次“银发浪潮中的新机遇”报告发布会。
It is a great pleasure to welcome you to today’s launch of UNDP China’s series of three major reports on the silver economy.
China is undergoing one of the most profound demographic transformations in the world. By the end of 2024, nearly 220 million people were aged 65 and above—15.6 percent of the population—with this figure projected to rise to around 30 percent by 2050. This shift presents complex social and economic challenges, from providing accessible, high-quality care to ensuring financial security for older people.
At the same time, however, it can also present opportunities. We must move beyond viewing older people solely as a vulnerable group and recognize that they can continue to be active contributors to social and economic development. With the right policies, financing solutions, and support, an ageing society can be transformed into a driver of inclusive growth.
To this end, UNDP is proud to launch three reports today, each looking at different areas critical to ensuring sustainable development with an ageing population – namely, how to expand quality care services, where key investment opportunities lie, and which groups of older people face the greatest vulnerabilities, focusing on rural residents and older women. Together, these reports send a clear message: the future of China’s silver economy depends on empowering older people, strengthening communities, and creating opportunities for all generations.
“We must translate insights into policies, investments, and initiatives that enable older people to age with dignity, security, and purpose. We must innovate in care delivery, expand financial inclusion, and direct support to where it is needed most.”
Indeed, the Chinese government has already taken important steps, elevating the silver economy to a national strategic priority in 2024 and issuing the Guidelines on Developing the Silver Economy to Improve the Well-being of Older Persons. Yet realizing the full potential of this sector requires collective action from all of us—government, businesses, civil society, and international partners.
So, today’s launch is not just about presenting research—it is a call to action. We must translate insights into policies, investments, and initiatives that enable older
people to age with dignity, security, and purpose. We must innovate in care delivery, expand financial inclusion, and direct support to where it is needed most.
In closing, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Industrial Securities for their support, both for this event and for one of the reports, as well as to all government officials, experts, and representatives from the elderly care industry, financial institutions, academia, media and international organizations joining us today.
I hope that today’s discussions and the presentations that follow will spark ideas, partnerships, and concrete solutions. By working together, we can harness the silver economy to drive inclusive, sustainable development.
Let us remember: older people are not just recipients of services—they have the potential to be agents of social and economic progress. Empowering them benefits us all. I look forward to our discussions and to the impactful actions that will emerge from this event.
Thank you.
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