Beijing court stresses adult children's responsibility to elderly parents

Beijing No 3 Intermediate People's Court reiterated on Friday that adult children have an unwavering obligation to support their elderly parents, regardless of their financial situation or changes in the parents' marital status.

In anticipation of Chongyang Festival, also known as Double Ninth Festival — a traditional Chinese holiday honoring the elderly, which falls on Sunday — the court released the details of six cases to underscore this legal duty.

Zhu Ping, the court's vice-president, told a news conference that he and his colleagues have handled numerous civil cases involving elderly residents, focusing on issues such as support, inheritance, and housing. The court has concluded 4,415 such cases since the Civil Code came into effect in January 2021.

He observed that with improved living standards and evolving attitudes, the needs of senior citizens have shifted from basic support to more specific concerns, such as the quality of care, living arrangements, and asset management.

"Their autonomy and awareness of their rights have significantly increased, with a stronger emphasis on choosing their mode of elderly care and managing their personal assets," he said.

He emphasized that supporting parents is a legal duty of adult children and clarified that stepchildren who have established a support relationship with their stepparents share the same responsibility.

"We do not condone shirking responsibilities, refusing to provide support, or using support expenses as a pretext to seize or offset elderly people's property," he added. "We also fully respect seniors' preferences regarding their care and personal assets."

In one highlighted case, Liu and Sun formed a blended family. Sun had two underage sons from a previous marriage when they married. After their marriage, Liu, Sun, the two stepsons, and a daughter born to Liu and Sun lived together. Sun died in 2018, having been cared for solely by Liu before his death.

Now over 70 and living on a limited income that barely covers daily and medical expenses, Liu sued the three children, requesting each to pay 500 yuan ($75) in monthly support from January 2026 and to share future medical costs equally.

The court determined that Liu had lived with the stepsons until they reached adulthood and had participated in their care, thus establishing a legally recognized stepparent-stepchild relationship.

The court clarified that when stepchildren live with a stepparent during their formative years and the stepparent assumes responsibility for their daily care, education, and protection, a support relationship is deemed to have formed.

Even if stepchildren inherit assets or compensation from their biological parents, it does not negate the stepparent's role in their upbringing or exempt them from their statutory duty of support, the court said. When stepparents in blended families fulfill their duty of raising underage stepchildren, their right to be supported in old age should be equally protected by law.