Support, services for veterans progressing smoothly

China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for veteran services and support is progressing smoothly, with all key targets met, according to the Minister of Veterans Affairs.

"The overall level of services and support for veterans has been significantly enhanced during this period," Minister Pei Jinjia said at a news conference on Thursday.

Pei highlighted strengthened efforts in searching for, excavating, identifying and protecting the remains of martyrs, as well as locating their relatives.

From 2021 to 2025, the remains of 265 soldiers with the Chinese People's Volunteers who died in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53) were repatriated and laid to rest in China, said Chen Erwei, director of the ministry's department of ideology and rights protection.

"So far, we have collected DNA data for the remains of 981 martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers returned from South Korea, along with samples from more than 1,300 related family members, establishing a comprehensive and dynamic DNA database," Pei said. He added that a national martyrs' remains search team and a national martyrs' remains DNA identification laboratory have been established.

A public government service platform has also been launched to help trace the relatives of martyrs and encourage civil society participation. To date, the burial sites or relatives of nearly 7,000 martyrs have been identified, according to Pei.

Vice-Minister of Veterans Affairs Xu Yao stated that the ministry has defended the honor of martyrs through legal measures to crack down on unlawful acts harming their reputation, fostering a strong social atmosphere of honoring and remembering them.

Pei noted that all binding indicators of the plan, such as the job placement rate of veterans, have been achieved on schedule. Other indicators, including the establishment of veteran service stations and martyrs' memorial facilities, have progressed steadily, with some even surpassing targets.

"More than 8 million entitled recipients of preferential treatment have been included in the national compensation and subsidy system," Xu said. These recipients include active-duty military personnel and their families, veterans and the families of those who died in the line of duty or from illness.

"In addition, over 610,000 veteran service stations have been established at the village and community levels, bringing services directly to veterans and turning respect for them into concrete action," Xu added.

Throughout the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the consistent goal of transfer and placement efforts has been to ensure veterans are properly received, effectively placed and able to contribute meaningfully to society, Xu said.

"To date, we have placed more than 250,000 demobilized officers and veterans into work positions," he stated. "Veterans are playing an increasingly important role in China's socioeconomic development."