Cheng Kai, a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF)
During the 2025 two sessions, Cheng Kai, a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF), gave an exclusive interview with People's Daily Online. He discussed topics including enhancing the consumption capacity of persons with disabilities, improving special needs trust services and bottom-line guardianship mechanisms, and advancing the protection of rights of persons with disabilities.
People's Daily Online: Enhancing consumption capacity and confidence is a focal point of discussion among deputies to the NPC and CPPCC members. How can we improve the affordability, accessibility, and inclusiveness of consumption for persons with disabilities?
Cheng Kai: Persons with disabilities have both general consumer needs and specific requirements in areas such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation. Many countries have established specialized markets to cater to these needs. In China, the 85 million persons with disabilities constitute a vast consumer group. In 2023, the per capita consumption expenditure of families with disabled members reaching 14,000 yuan ($1,935.52), with the total annual consumption demand of persons with disabilities estimated at 1.2 trillion yuan.
With technological advancements, particularly in the rapid iteration and upgrading of artificial intelligence, persons with disabilities now have greater opportunities for equality, inclusion, and shared development. They have become indispensable participants, consumers, and promoters of technological innovation. Assistive technological products and services for persons with disabilities have become important consumption scenarios and emerging industries. At the Care & Rehabilitation Expo China 2024, 369 enterprises and institutions from 16 countries and regions showcased over 10,000 technological innovation products, attracting more than 40,000 visitors and generating an intended transaction volume of 60 million yuan. This demonstrated both China's ultra-large-scale market potential and technological advancements in services for persons with disabilities.
To enhance the consumption capacity and confidence of persons with disabilities, we must implement requirements of by the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committeeof the Communist Party of China to " improve the social security system and build a care service system", continuously enhance social security and basic public services for persons with disabilities, gradually reduce survival-related expenditures for families with disabled members, and increase development expenditures. The key is to make every effort to ensure higher-quality and more inclusive employment for persons with disabilities to increase their income and ensure financial security, which in turn boosts confidence.
Additionally, we should foster new quality productive forces in the service sector for persons with disabilities, strive to incorporate assistive device purchases and home accessibility modifications into the government's trade-in subsidies program for consumer goods. By leveraging technological innovation, we can expand and improve the quality of disability-related services, thereby expanding consumption and unlocking the full market potential.
People's Daily Online: Currently, there is an urgent need for professional and diversified services for persons with intellectual disabilities, especially in addressing “entrusted guardianship” challenges. How can we improve special needs trust services and bottom-line guardianship mechanisms?
Cheng Kai: This issue has been a growing concern in recent years and remains one of our most pressing challenges. The core difficulty lies in converting financial assets into sustainable and reliable service resources while ensuring that beneficiaries' rights are safeguarded through the separation of people, funds, and services. This requires professional financial management, service resources, and collaboration with institutions for wills-based guardianship and intentional guardianship, involving notaries, lawyers, and supervisory bodies.
Although some trust companies have made promising strides, several obstacles remain, including gaps in legal policies, limited asset categories eligible for trusts, insufficient professional service resources, underdeveloped guardianship supervision mechanisms, and low public awareness. These issues need to be effectively addressed.
We hope that relevant authorities will expedite the launch of pilot programs for inclusive special needs trust services and formulate national-level guidance to promote their development. Efforts should focus on cultivating social organizations and institutions capable of providing special needs trust services, improving the level of professional and vocational services to meet the personalized, refined, and assisted service needs of individuals with severe intellectual disabilities. We should improve the legal system for the operation of special needs trust assets, issue business guidelines and regulatory rules for special needs trusts, and enhance the credibility of charitable trust products. We should also improve the systems of will-based guardianship, intentional guardianship, and "bottom-line guardianship," formulate and introduce relevant supporting implementation rules, and establish a whitelist mechanism for guardianship services.
We should actively develop charitable trusts and explore new models of "special needs trusts + charitable trusts", so as to effectively leverage the mutual assistance and public welfare characteristics of charitable trusts to catalyze and promote the development of inclusive special needs trusts. Organizing various forms of publicity and promotion activities can enhance public awareness and acceptance of special needs trusts, fully unleashing their social value.
People's Daily Online: Recently, the Supreme People's Court and the China Disabled Persons' Federation released six exemplary cases implementing the Ten Measures to Ensure Litigation Services for People with Disabilities. What new expectations and highlights can we anticipate in 2025 for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities?
Cheng Kai: Protecting the rights of persons with disabilities spans social security, public services, and legal safeguards. The six exemplary cases just mentioned, where the court and disabled persons' federation helped a person with disabilities recover economic losses of 180,000 yuan and promoted the installation of accessibility facilitates in residential communities, highlight the effectiveness of legal aid. The law and law enforcement organs ot only resolve complex disputes for persons with disabilities but also safeguard their equal and full participation in society.
In 2025, we will work closely with relevant departments to further safeguard the rights and interests of persons with disabilities, with a focus on ensuring the high-quality completion of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and the scientific formulation of the 15th Five-Year Plan. Specifically, this year, we will organize the 7th seventh National Self-Reliance Model & Disability Support Awards. This initiative will not only highlight touching stories of self-reliance and support for persons with disabilities, but also serve as an occasion to review achievements in promoting a civilized society that supports persons with disabilities and in protecting their rights and interests in the new era.
We will continue to consolidate and build upon the achievements of the poverty alleviation, guide local authorities in further refining and improving the dynamic adjustment mechanism for the two subsidies for persons with disabilities, and enhance support measures for families of persons with particularly severe difficulties.
In implementing the requirements of the government work report to “develop special education” and “provide proper care services for persons with severe disabilities,” we will work with the Ministry of Education to improve the educational support system for persons with disabilities, and cooperate with the Ministry of Civil Affairs to formulate and introduce policy guidance on custodial care services for persons with severe disabilities.
We will work to improve the quality and effectiveness of rehabilitation services, ensure that all children with disabilities have access to rehabilitation assistance, and continue to promote care and support initiatives for children with autism.
We will formulate and implement a new three-year action plan to promote employment for persons with disabilities. By leveraging technological and industrial upgrading and the national large-scale skills training initiative, we will intensify efforts to enhance vocational skills and job adaptability for persons with disabilities, and continuously expand employment opportunities.
We will host the 11th National Art Performance for Persons with Disabilities and organize the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao joint Para Special Olympics, further enriching the cultural and sports life of persons with disabilities.
We will continue to strengthen research, development, and application of technologies that support persons with disabilities, and promote new technologies and business models that assist them.
We will also commemorate the 35th anniversary of the implementation of the Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities, promote the enforcement of the Law on the Construction of Accessible Environments, actively participate in relevant legislative work, revise the regulations on the issuance of disability certificates, and improve relevant facilitation measures. In collaboration with all member units of the State Council Working Committee on Disability, we will make greater efforts to address the pressing concerns and urgent needs of persons with disabilities.
Through these initiatives, we hope to empower persons with disabilities to live with greater security, dignity, and hope, fostering a society where they can fully participate and thrive.