Chinese county to punish ‘unfilial’ people it claims are holding back anti-poverty drive

Those who allow elderly parents to live in run-down homes, take control of their pensions and other income, or abuse or abandon them will be targeted

But social media users have accused authorities of shirking their responsibilities to a rapidly ageing society

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A county’s plan to punish people for “unfilial behaviour” has prompted calls for the government to do more to support elderly people. Photo: AP

Published: 8:38pm, 22 Jul 2019Updated: 1:21pm, 9 Jan 2020

A county government in northwest China says it will punish “unfilial” people, claiming they are hampering poverty alleviation efforts by letting their elderly parents live in poor conditions.

In a directive, the authorities listed “undutiful behaviour” – such as allowing parents to live in run-down homes – that would be subject to a crackdown in Xunyang county, Shaanxi province.

People who took control of their parents’ pensions and other income, and those who encouraged elderly parents to seek subsidies under the nationwide poverty alleviation programme would be among those targeted.

But the July 11 directive – issued by five departments including the police, court and prosecutors – has triggered a backlash online, with the authorities accused of shirking their responsibilities to a rapidly ageing society.

It is part of a four-month county government campaign, launched on July 5, against “unfilial behaviour”, which authorities said had “degraded social conduct and seriously affected the progress of the county’s battle against poverty”.

President Xi Jinping has set 2020 as the year that no Chinese should be living below the poverty line – officially an annual income of 2,300 yuan (US$330) – with the aim of becoming a “moderately prosperous society”.