Shanghai Citizens May Soon Have Their Credit Scores Lowered for Not Visiting Their Parents

[FLPanhandle]

http://time.com/4290234/china-shanghai-parents-visit-credit-score-lower/

New rules decree that adults living separately from their parents must “visit or send greeting often”

For citizens of Shanghai, not visiting their elderly parents will soon have a somewhat strange consequence — a lowering of their personal credit scores.

The eastern Chinese city’s government announced the new set of rules — which will come into force on May 1 — in a news conference last week, Chinese news outlet Caixin reported Monday.

The regulations decree that adults living separately from their parents must “visit or send greeting often,” and also gives the parents a right to file lawsuits against their children for neglect. Not heeding court directives thereafter will result in a negative impact on their credit rating, Luo Peixin of the city’s law office told reporters. Luo said the introduction of financial implications for not visiting one’s parents will ensure the law is implemented.

Caixin cites official data as saying people over the age of 60 comprise about 30% of Shanghai’s permanent residents and the demographic is expected to number 5 million by 2018. China’s capital, Beijing, instituted a similar law in 2013 — albeit without a specific mention of credit scores.

That law has been widely denounced as being too vague, with many reportedly saying it doesn’t mention concrete punishments or specify how often children should call on their parents.

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I can see this wasn't well thought out and cringe worthy.

Parental visits will continue until morale improves.

[Journeyman]

1. Can't appeal to love in their heart, hit 'em where love hurts: their wallet . . .

[Major Nikon]

2. Chinese culture dictates that you respect and take care of your parents

People who don't are ostracized by their friends and colleagues. It's a very big deal over there.

[hobbit709]

3. If they're having to legislate this then there are cultural changes happening.

[Major Nikon]

4. Possibly

But it also could just be another way to further ostracize those who abandon their parents. So the cultural changes could actually be going the opposite direction from what you might assume. It's important to remember that the main system of social security in China is still your children. While this is slowly starting to change, it still has a long way to go before it even comes close to resembling any sort of old age security available in the west.