China unveils document on building child-friendly society

China on Tuesday released a document outlining its plans for establishing a child-friendly society in the coming years.

The document, titled Opinions on Promoting the Construction of Child-Friendly Society, emphasizes the importance of incorporating children's perspectives into public policy as China endeavors to create an environment conducive to child development.

The initiative aims to enhance public spaces by adding facilities for sports, recreation, leisure, and extracurricular activities, ensuring that neighborhoods, communities, and parks are fully child-friendly.

Additionally, the document focuses on improving policies that provide free or preferential public services for children and strengthening judicial protections of minors, including rigorous legal action against crimes targeting underage individuals.

Previously, 116 cities in China have initiated child-friendly pilot projects, encompassing more than one-third of prefecture-level cities and benefiting over 110 million urban and rural children. This new document aims to transition from pilot projects to a more comprehensive approach to child-friendly development across society.

"The document clearly outlines the tasks and directions of child-friendly development during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) period and beyond. It aims to extend the concept of child-friendly development from urban areas to rural regions, addressing social policies, public services, rights protection, growth spaces, and development environments in an integrated manner," said Wei Yifang, an associate researcher at the Academy of Macroeconomic Research under the National Development and Reform Commission.

China unveils document on building child-friendly society

International oil prices rebounded sharply in intraday trading on Tuesday as markets weighed continued uncertainty over a proposed U.S.-led naval escort arrangement in the Strait of Hormuz, alongside reports that a tanker anchored in the Gulf of Oman was struck by an unidentified projectile.

The West Texas Intermediate for April delivery jumped 3.39 percent to 96.67 U.S. dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, as of 15:30 Beijing time (0730 GMT).

Brent crude for May delivery rose 3.08 percent to 103.30 U.S. dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

A statement from The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Tuesday that a tanker anchored in the Gulf of Oman had been attacked by an unidentified projectile, suffering minor structural damage. No injuries were reported.

The UKMTO said the incident occurred 23 nautical miles (about 42.6 kilometers) east of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. No environmental pollution was reported. The statement did not provide further details.

Oil prices rise rapidly amid Mideast conflict