Vice Premier stresses equal rights for disabled

Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu on Wednesday urged further efforts in building the social security and social service systems to ensure the basic rights and equal access to social activities for the disabled.

Hui made the remarks during his speech on behalf of the Chinese government at the Beijing Forum: Removing Barriers, Promoting Integration, an international forum held in Beijing.

Hui called for better work to help disabled people participate in social activities in a more comprehensive way and live a happier life with dignity.

Stressing that China has the world's largest disabled population, the vice premier said the living standard and social security level for the disabled in the country had remarkably improved through the government's decades of work.

Hui called on governments and non-governmental organizations in countries around the world to join hands in efforts to help the disabled, improve their living conditions and promote their integration and development in the society.

The Chinese government will also continue its commitments in this field, fully implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and ensure the disabled people's political, economic, social, cultural and educational rights, Hui said.

China currently has about 85 million people with disabilities, Wang Xinxian, vice chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, said at the forum.

Over the last five years, China has provided new employment opportunities for about 1.8 million disabled people in the country's urban areas and ensured the livelihoods of over 6.1 million rural impoverished people with disabilities, Wang said.

Moreover, more than 10 million people with disabilities have received rehabilitation services of different levels in the five years, Wang said.

By 2020, the basic living security system and public services will cover every disabled person in the country and they will enjoy better education and employment conditions, Wang said.