China Daily: “China has clarified its residence policies to facilitate domestic migrants’ settling in small and medium-size cities as permanent residents, a move intended to further push theurbanization drive.
In cities of county-level or below, people who have stable jobs and residences may apply forpermanent residence permits, along with their spouses, unmarried children, and parents,according to a State Council circular posted online late Thursday.
In medium-size cities, people who have stable jobs for three years, stable residences, and havepaid social security insurance for at least one year, can also apply for permits to live in the citypermanently, the circular said.
That means many of China’s millions of migrant workers may be formally accepted as urbanresidents, giving them more access to public services including welfare housing and medicalinsurance, which are currently only open to holders of permanent residence permits in manycities.
Ushered in some 30 years ago, China’s reform and opening-up drive established a pattern oflabor flowing from rural to urban areas, and the country now has more than 200 million ruralmigrants working in cities.
Meanwhile, the circular said China will continue efforts to control the population of major cities,including those directly under jurisdiction of the central government, many of which are alreadyover-populated based on their existing facilities and services.”
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-02/24/content_14687152.htm
Some would regards these moves as a natural progression towards recognising the needs and rights of this important 20% of the Chinese population. Others, more cynically, would ask: “Why now?” and come to the conclusion that in the year of top leadership change, minimising the causes of internal conflict is of prime importance.
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