May 7, 2013
Translated by Liu Jingyue

China's State Council yesterday announced that it plans to push ahead with reforms to China's controversial household registration system (户籍制度).

The State Council pledged to unveil regulations governing new "residence permits" (居住证管理办法) by the end of this year, according to an official announcement outlining the issues discussed at an executive meeting of China's cabinet on Monday.

Reforms to the Hukou system, as the household registration system is often referred to, were just one of many measures discussed at the meeting, which outlined a series of economic reforms across nine areas that the government plans to press ahead with this year.

The plan to gradually replace the Hukou system with residence permits was first proposed at a meeting of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee (CPPCC) last March. A draft plan was later completed by the Ministry of Public Security and it is currently awaiting the State Council's approval.

The reform will make it easier for migrant workers to settle in cities by gradually removing obstacles to obtaining a residence permit and by introducing a uniform system across the country.     

Du Ying (杜鹰), the deputy chief of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said last year that Hukou reform is the key to the urbanization of migrant workers.

There is currently a huge disparity in the quality of social services provided to individuals registered in urban and rural areas.

Since 2012, Shanghai along with the relatively wealthy provinces of Guangdong and Zhejiang piloted a version of the residence permit system, which is said to make it easier for internal migrants to access various social services such as education and social welfare in addition to purchasing housing and applying for a driver's license.

The new plan will make more services available to temporary residents living in cities.

According to a research report produced by the China Center for Urban Development (CCUD), Hukou reform in China is making slow progress due to concerns that an infux of migrants will overwhelm some of country's largest cities and impact on the quality of social services provided to locals.

Data from the CCUD reveals that from 2010 to 2012, a total of 25 million people from rural areas settled in cities, double the number over the preceding three year period. In 2012, 35.3 percent of the population had an urban Hukou.    

Links and Sources
Gov.cn:李克强主持召开国务院常务会议
Caijing: 国务院：年内出台居住证管理办法 推进户籍改革
Economic Observer Online:Central Government Plans to Gradually Adopt Residence Permit System
Reuters:China eyes residence permits to replace divisive hukou system