Forum on aging society draws extensive discussion

A forum discussing how to cope with an aging society and promoting the new book The Age of Long Life: Learning About the Future from the Perspectives of Aging, Health and Wealth was held in Beijing by Taikang Insurance Group and CITIC Press Group on Wednesday.

"Human beings encounter numerous problems. Some of them are caused by our ignorance and stupidity, but others are new problems brought by people's long-term hard work, like aging. People have longevity after years of struggles, but now it becomes a problem," economist Zhou Qiren said during the forum.

According to the book's author Chen Dongsheng, founder, chairman and CEO of Taikang Insurance Group, the aging society may become one of the biggest challenges for human society in coming decades, and is a cause for concern.

"The extended life expectancy will pose challenges for people in employment, health and finance, so we need to rearrange the process of our lives," Chen said.

In the book, Chen points out: "We need to recognize old people's value. Different from the stereotypical idea they are only consumers of social resources, we need to make them take part in the labor market in more flexible ways."