A landmark initiative to abolish the division between "rural
residents" and "urban residents" is being developed by 11 Chinese
provinces.
The reforms are expected to grant people from rural areas all
the political, educational and social security benefits as their
urban counterparts.
Pilot provinces include Liaoning in Northeast China, Shandong
and Fujian in East China, and Guangdong in South China.
Guangdong will allow all farmers to register as urban residents
in one or two years, Ou Guangyuan, deputy secretary of the
Guangdong Provincial Committee of the
Communist Party of China, said on Monday at a work
conference.
Liaoning is also to wipe out differences between urban and rural
residence permits, granting the latter the same rights to
education, employment and medical care.
"Liaoning's urbanization is comparatively advanced and we have
many small cities which have the ability to absorb possible new
residents from the countryside," an official, surnamed Li from
Liaoning Public Security Department, said Tuesday.
Shaanxi Province in Northwest China has also announced it will
abolish the urban-rural division within the next five years.
Earlier, Deputy Minister of Public Security Liu Jinguo said
reforms will help usher in a unified management system on permanent
residence registration.
However, public security experts are still calling for a
cautious attitude to reform, saying random steps will lead to
chaos.
Bian Haihong of the Beijing Public Security Bureau said Tuesday
that there are four areas which need special attention.
Education. More children will be vying for limited places in
city schools.
Healthcare. Can the government afford to foot the new urban
dwellers' medical bills?
Social security. Can local governments afford the newcomers'
social security demands?
Public order. If the system is adopted too quickly, a huge
influx of people living in poverty could spark a rise in crime.
In November 2001, Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan
Province, offered free permanent registration permits to people
with relatives already living in the city. Increased pressure on
transport, education, healthcare and a rise in crime forced the
city to cancel the measure three years later, said Bian.
So far, most large cities are similarly unprepared for a rapid
transfer, he added.
(China Daily November 2, 2005)