Press Release

The World Special Olympics, which are magnificent sports events established by Special Olympics International for about 170 million handicapped people all over the world, have been successfully held eleven times so far. The 12th Special Olympics will be held in Shanghai from October 2 to 11, 2007, and this is the first time for Special Olympics to be held in a developing country in Asia. As an associated event of the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games, the 4th China Aid Show will be ceremoniously held in INTEX Shanghai from October 5 to 7, 2007.

Since its debut in Shanghai in 2000, "China Aid Show" has always been strongly supported by the Civil Administration Ministry P.R. China, China Disabled Person's Federation, Shanghai Municipal Committee on Aging, China Disabled Person Supply Centre as well as Civil Affairs Bureaus of other provinces and Disabled Person's Federations of other provinces.The Show is jointly hosted by Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, Shanghai Disabled Person's Federation and Council for Promotion of International Trade Shanghai and co-organized by Shanghai Social Welfare Association, Shanghai Social Services and the Shanghai Disabled Person Supply Centre and INTEX Shanghai Co., Ltd. It is held in Shanghai every two years and has been successfully held three times so far. Besides more than 100 professional exhibitors from Germany, the US, the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, the UK, Japan, Korea, Taiwan Province and HK SAR, the last show also attracted over 8,000 professional visitors, achieving good results in the exhibition of products for the handicapped and the aged, the promotion of trade cooperation and technological exchange and so on. The scope of this show covers special medical equipment, instruments for mobility, appliance for rehabilitation and nursing, special sanitary equipment, special bedroom accessories, special Studing and communicating equipment, barrier-free facilities as well as introductions to all relevant institutions such as financial and insurance services, rest homes, apartments and travel agencies for the aged, displaying a wider range of items.

The aim of China Aid Show is to express society's love and care for the handicapped and aged. According to statistics, China has a handicapped population of about 82,960,000 at present, accounting for 6.34% of the Chinese population. Shanghai has a handicapped population of about 942,000, accounting for 5.29% of its permanent population. Shanghai municipal government distributes customized aids to handicapped people in need every year and grants allowances to handicapped people for buying aids. It carries out the policy of "rehabilitation service to all" and provides old-age pension for handicapped people.

At the same time, with the further aging of the Chinese population, the large group of aged people has created a potential large market. According to relevant statistics, the aged Chinese population above 60 years old has reached up to 144 million at present, and in 2050 the number will exceed 400 million, which will lead to a surprisingly large quantity of demands in the aged market. According to statistics, the aged market demands in 2005 added up to RMB 600 billion, and will reach RMB 1,000 billion in 2010 and RMB 2,000 billion in 2020. A review of Shanghai's population indicates that, by the end of 2005, Shanghai's aged population had reached 2,663,700, accounting for 19.58% of its permanent population. Shanghai will add about 90,000 aged people to its population per year during the 2006-2010 period, and the number will become about 170,000 per year during the 2010-2020 period. Around 2025, Shanghai's aged population will reach a new peak, accounting for 35% of its total population.

In response to such great market demands, "China Aid Show" emerges as the times require, not only forming a platform for trade, technology and information exchange in the rehabilitation and care product industry for handicapped and aged people, but also providing opportunities for the vast numbers of handicapped and aged consumers to consult about and choose the products and services they need.

On the occasion of the World Special Olympics, "The 4th China Aid Show" will adhere to the spirit of Special Olympics and show society's solicitude and respect for the handicapped through the items on display or the activities and services on the spot.

I. Highlight social focus, convey latest information
1、The Seminar on Urban Old-age Service

With the increasing aging of the Chinese population, the old-age support coefficient is becoming larger and larger and there are more and more demands for old-age services in society, so it is imperative under the situation to vigorously develop the old-age service industry. This seminar will join hands with institutions and associations from Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Tianjin, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Beijing and so on to release on the spot up-to-date information on the old-age welfare policies of different governments all over the country and the trends of old-age support markets.

Under the guidance of the theme of Special Olympics, relevant research institutions for the handicapped from home and abroad will be invited to hold discussions at the seminar in order to call all sectors of society into action to show solicitude for and give assistance to handicapped people, helping them to grow up healthy and sound and fully satisfying their normal needs for existence, medical care, rehabilitation, education, labor, employment and so on.

The 2010 Shanghai World Expo of China which attracts widespread attention will be another grand gathering after the Olympic Games. As the World Expo draws near, large quantities of construction projects are in great need of obstacle-free public facilities. Leaders of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo Administrative Bureau and Shanghai Federation of the Handicapped, who are in charge of relevant inspection work, will be invited to the seminar to discuss and plan the necessity and inspection of obstacle-free facilities for the 2010 World Expo.

The on-the-spot demonstration of paintings by handicapped children from Shanghai organized by Shanghai Children's Home embodies the love and care for handicapped children from the whole society. We believe that more compassionate people will show care and concern for the healthy development of handicapped children and hold up a clear sky for them. Part of the works will be sold for charity, and visitors can buy them on the spot. Money from the charity sales will go directly to the painters themselves, which shows love and respect from society.

The "Sunny Home" is a practical project launched by Shanghai municipal government for the handicapped people of 16 to 35 years old all over the city. So far, Shanghai has set up 240 "Sunny Homes" with more than 11,500 students in them, where they can have rehabilitation training and undertake simple work to improve their ability for life, sociality and labor and gradually step out of their homes into society. Therefore, a special zone called Shanghai "Sunny Home" is opened on the scene of this show to display the novel management mode of the "Sunny Homes" and the effective results that handicapped people have achieved through their study and training in the "Sunny Homes".

This show has set up a special zone named "Children's World" for handicapped children to play games, where they can enjoy themselves to the utmost and experience the pleasure of life.

There will be a number of performances during the show for handicapped and aged people to perform their calligraphy, painting and knitting skills on the spot, which will fully reflect handicapped and aged people's amateur life in the present age and display their fine qualities of constantly striving to become stronger, working hard and aiming high, and struggling tenaciously.

This show, jointly hosted by Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, Shanghai Federation of the Handicapped and Shanghai Council for Promotion of International Trade and strongly supported by numerous government institutions, has so far become one of the largest and most authoritative professional assemblies in industries related to aged and handicapped people in China. At present, Shanghai's aging of population ranks high in China. This year Shanghai will officially launch the "Blue Sky Program" and the "Evening Sunshine Program". In the five years to come, the Civil Affairs Ministry will transfer at least 1.5 billion yuan's worth of public welfare funds from welfare lotteries to be used for the two programs.

At the same time, this show is building a bridge between the 2010 World Expo and enterprises equipped with obstacle-free facilities. During the show, the sponsors will invite the leaders concerned from the operation department of Shanghai World Expo Administration Bureau and Shanghai Federal of the Handicapped to visit the show and hold talks, and numerous enterprises from home and abroad will gather together to exhibit their new products and new ideas. When the time comes, professionals from foreign institutions for the handicapped as well as relevant personages from enterprises and institutions in China like departments of civil affairs and federations of the handicapped in different provinces and municipalities, daily necessities supply stations for the handicapped, homes for the aged, welfare houses, rehabilitation centers, hospitals and medical institutions will visit the show. This show is a grand gathering of China's rehabilitation and health care industry for handicapped and aged people.

For further information about the show, please visit our website:
www.china-aid.com

Contact Persons of the Show
Shanghai Council for Promotion of International Trade
INTEX Shanghai Co.,Ltd.
Lillian Lee / Grace Chen / Eddy Liu
Tel: 8621-6295 2131,?6295 2060,?6295 2132
Fax: 8621-6278 0038,?6295 3802
Email: intexljs@sh163.net