BEIJING -- China is on the way to establishing a complete service system that will remarkably improve the lives of hundreds of millions of senior citizens in the country, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

China will build an elderly-friendly society by improving its social security system, elderly care services and health supports, Minister of Civil Affairs Lu Zhiyuan has said, noting that an elderly care services system with distinctive Chinese features is expected to become well-developed and smoothly functional by 2035.

There were 297 million people aged 60 or above in China at the end of 2023, accounting for 21.1 percent of the country's total population. The country is taking a proactive approach to population aging, acknowledging it as a reality China must face squarely on its path to modernization.

While challenges exist, this demographic shift also presents opportunities, Lu said at a press conference on high-quality development held in Beijing on Monday.

Elderly care in China has transitioned from a security net providing basic livelihood support to a system of quality services that integrates both medical and health care, Lu said.

Elderly care services have also diversified from a government-centric model to including both government and market participation, as well as more social stakeholders, the minister said.

In a nod to the habits and preference for aging at home among most of its senior citizens, the country will develop a services supply structure characterized by coordination and interconnection between homes, communities and institutions, Lu said.

Among measures to shore up at-home elderly care, the central government has allocated 300 million yuan ($42.5 million) in guiding funds to support the development of catering services for the elderly in 2024, Vice Minister of Civil Affairs Tang Chengpei said at the Monday press conference.

Elderly individuals facing the challenges of advanced age, disabilities, empty nests or living alone are the focus of this endeavor, Tang said.

He noted that simultaneously, the country is expanding its catering services network continuously to deliver convenient meal services to the doorsteps of more senior citizens.

Catering programs have been rolled out in many regions to help elderly people access local meal services, with community canteens being a common form of these services.