Prosperity and security for people with disabilities in China

The guiding principles of the People’s Republic of China with Chinese-style socialism aim to bring about peace and prosperity for humanity. It is heavily criticised in the West. It is interpreted that China uses its power to oppress, blackmail and exploit other states internationally. The area of welfare for people with disabilities at national and international level illustrates the real intentions of the PRC.

On 22.05.2023, the international conference “Belt and Road” Disability Cooperation Theme Forum took place in Beijing. From a Western perspective, it is probably again an event of aggression. At the forum, the goals and activities of the partner organisations and countries were presented. The Vice Mayor of Beijing emphasised that it is precisely Chinese-style socialism to help people with disabilities and thus create prosperity for humanity. Mr. H. E. Abdulla Al Humaidan, Secretary General of the Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination from the United Arab Emirates, also said that the Belt and Road Initiative is about working together to create a robust support system for people with disabilities. Development in the field of inclusion is an important driver for everyone’s future. It allows technologies to be shared, education to be exchanged and experiences to be communicated. Comprehensive inclusion means openness and constructive dialogue. Other speakers from NGOs and the China Disabled Persons Federation (CDPF) added that it is 1. about connectivity at the person-to-person level, 2. about developing inclusive infrastructure, health centres and also small local projects, and 3. about promoting services for people with disabilities with the highest quality. Mr. Hadi Tjahjono, Minister Counsellor of the Indonesian Embassy, also emphasised the strong cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and that the 22.5 million people with disabilities in Indonesia will greatly benefit and their lives will be improved through the project. In addition, many cooperation agreements were signed between NGOs and the governments of Kazakhstan, France, Malaysia and Cambodia during the event, especially in the areas of rehabilitation, assistive devices, technology and international exchange.

Development in the field of disability in the People’s Republic of China

The current Five-Year Plan of the Communist Party of the People’s Republic of China envisages, among other things, providing more support to people with disabilities by 2025 and significantly improving their lives. To achieve this goal, 43 Chinese ministries and departments are working together. The principle is: prosperity for all. There are 85 million people with disabilities living in China. By comparison, a total of 83 million people live in the Federal Republic of Germany. As the China Disabled Persons Federation announced on 28 September 2022, 2.55 million women with a physical disability were lifted out of poverty in 2019. 10.5 million women with disabilities have received new housing and health facilities. 5.9 million have received new employment and specialised training. The Social Science Academy Press also announced that between 2017 and 2021, 9.05 million people with disabilities found new jobs based on skills and knowledge rather than physical exertion. In addition, numerous legal reforms have been made in recent decades to provide people with disabilities with equal rights and protections in society. For example, Article 2 of the Special Regulation for the Education of Persons with Disabilities states that the state guarantees the right of persons with disabilities to equal access to education.

Objective and position of the Chinese

The principle of the People’s Republic of China is prosperity for all. For the Chinese, this also means that development is precisely holistic and that people have a better life both in the metropolitan areas such as the cities, but especially in the rural regions. This means targeted training for people with disabilities, services and subsidies through various channels and forms to help them find work or start a business. The goal is to create jobs for people with disabilities precisely because of their special uniqueness as individuals. People with disabilities see the world from a perspective that is often not visible to others. They are therefore needed to help a society thrive and to enable new ways of seeing. It is necessary to represent their interests, secure jobs and create barrier-free facilities. For example, in the People’s Republic of China, massages by blind people are very popular and considered the best because blind people perceive and deal with the human body in a very different way.

China’s modernisation as a game changer in the field of inclusion

With the modernisation of China, the reforms of the National People’s Congress of March 2023 are pending, especially in the areas of digitalisation, Big Data and AI. In recent years, China has already made great strides in the area of smart devices and their networking. While chatbots like ChatGDP are causing a stir in the West, artificial intelligences are being developed in China, especially in medical research, finance or intelligent algorithms to fight poverty. Big Data here means that people’s health is linked to the entire surrounding living space. We know artificial intelligences from Tesla and Co. that perceive their surroundings. The Chinese reality and the path of modernisation will give disabled people new possibilities to better perceive their living space, to protect them, to support them and to communicate.

Businesses in the People’s Republic of China also work closely with the government and have a duty to contribute to society as part of their civic duty. For example, numerous apps are being developed and accessibility is being promoted in areas such as online shopping, as at the Alibaba Group. Another example is accessible cinemas for the blind or hearing impaired in the People’s Republic of China. For example, Alibaba Group and the China Commission of Promotion of Publicity for the Undertakings of Chinese disabled Persons (CCPPUCDP) have introduced visual technologies and developments that enable the approximately 17 million people with severe visual impairments to watch films. All films in China are subtitled to improve accessibility. In the coming years, China will expand services and make basic rehabilitation services more equitable, accessible, systematic and continuous, according to a 29 December 2022 release from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Finance, National Health Commission and China Disabled Persons Association.

2023 is the year when there is now a special focus on building a barrier-free environment. For example, the Communist Party of China sees supporting people with disabilities as something that benefits everyone. It is a win-win situation, both nationally and internationally. Because when people with disabilities or even older people are better off, this also benefits friends, family members and the prosperity of society. This is in line with the Chinese Communist Party’s philosophy of serving the people.

Foreclosure policy of the West harms disabled people

China and the One Belt One Road partners want to improve people’s lives at all levels of exchange and close cooperation. Once upon a time, the West was open to the world and focused on cooperation. The People’s Republic was closed. Now the People’s Republic is open and focuses on cooperation, while the West rejects and even sanctions increasing cooperation. But the West’s ruthless isolation and sanctions policy harms those most who already have the least: The disabled. It is therefore questionable whether the People’s Republic of China actually has negative intentions or whether Western partners under the leadership of the USA are not acting ruthlessly here.

Christian Wagner worked for seven years in the German heavy machinery industry and holds a degree in mechatronics and a bachelor’s degree in business law. In his last position, he arranged partnerships for economic, political and academic cooperation in China and other Asian countries. He is now active at the Law School of the People’s University of China (中国人民大学) for the Master degree in Chinese Law.