Universal coverage of social welfare will hopefully be realized
when the identity card number of residents is used for social
security registration, says an editorial in Nanfang Metropolis
News. The following is an excerpt:
In a draft of the law on social security submitted to the
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress over the
weekend, it stipulates that the number of a resident's identity
card will be used for employees, the self-employed and part-time
workers.
It means that Chinese citizens will have life-long social
security accounts. And social security will become a universal
right for all citizens regardless of their employment or addresses
in the household registration system.
Under the well-developed system, every citizen will have his or
her own social security number. Information on every individual
will be recorded - education, employment, income, tax and debts.
Welfare will be guaranteed regardless of changes in employment or
residence.
Compared with the current social welfare system based on
people's employment, the new system will improve social fairness by
eliminating the differences between urban and rural residents.
In certain parts of the country, there have been pilot projects
to use ID numbers. In the draft law, the practice encompasses the
whole country.
Of course, there are several technical details that should be
looked at when the system is introduced, but they are not difficult
to overcome.
As long as there is a basic framework to ensure universal
coverage of social welfare, people will welcome it.
(China Daily December 27, 2007)