Beijing is China’s second oldest city , 23% of residents over 60: media

A recent report ranked Beijing as China's second oldest city, adding that residents of the capital over 60 accounted for 23.4 percent of the city's population, twice the base international index for aging societies, local media reported Monday.

Beijing had 3.15 million elderly residents in 2015, and the capital will have more than 3.8 million residents over the age of 60 by 2020, the Beijing Daily reported Monday.

The Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference has conducted several investigations to address this pressing situation since April, including a recent seminar attended by representatives of Beijing's elderly people, government officials and the capital's political advisors.  

Xue Han, a 62-year-old political adviser and Beijing resident, listed at the seminar a series of issues of serious concern to older Beijingers, such as food safety, housekeeping, medical services and financial fraud, as well as the fact that many of them lack a sense of accomplishment and security, the Beijing Daily reported.

The difficulty of arranging nursing home care is also a key issue. Elderly people on average have to make more than 70 phonecalls to discuss prices, locations and other details before they finally move into a nursing home, the newspaper quoted a investigation from Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau as saying. 

In 2015, a total of 1.08 billion yuan ($149 billion) of municipal funds were allocated to support elderly care and this year the budget is set to grow by about 10 percent, the Beijing Daily reported.