BEIJING - China has issued various occupational qualification certificates to nearly 500,000 of its handicapped citizens in the past five years, according to a statement released by the China Disabled Person's Federation (CDPF) on Monday.

A total of 3.76 million disabled persons nationwide received some form of vocational or technical training during the 2005-2010 period, according to the statement.

The CDPF said in the statement that it will train another 1.8 million disabled persons in next five years, and it will launch a variety of programs in order to make millions more employable.

More than 4.4 million urban and rural citizens with disabilities are currently employed in China.

Figures from the CDPF indicate that more than 2 million disabled persons have set up their own businesses under the country's preferential tax policies and with financial support from the government.

Nearly 83 million citizens in China have some form of disability, and the latest WHO report showed that more than 1 billion people worldwide are disabled.