China raises pensions for veterans, disabled servicemen

BEIJING - China is about to increase state allowances for disabled soldiers and veterans of the 1927-1937 Red Army by 15 percent.

The new pension plan will take effect from Oct. 1, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Finance said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

After the adjustment, a soldier disabled in conflict will be eligible for up to 60,210 yuan (about $9,470) in allowances annually.

For those who were disabled in performing official duties or due to disease, the top class of pensions will be 58,310 and 56,400 yuan respectively, according to the statement.

The same rate of increase will be applied for veterans of the Red Army, the military forces of the Communist Party of China for the 10 years from 1927. Their allowances will reach 41,750 yuan after the hike.

Allowances for family members of fallen soldiers will also be increased. In urban areas, each family member will receive 19,120 yuan annually, an increase of 15 percent, while in rural areas the sum for each member will increase by 30 percent to 14,510 yuan annually.

The adjustment, the 22nd of its kind for disabled soldiers since 1978, means the central government will pay an additional 1.9 billion yuan this year.

It allocated 33.7 billion yuan for disabled soldiers, bereaved families and Red Army veterans in 2015, said the Ministry of Civil Affairs.