China's social security white paper (full text)
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-09-07 11:23

Relief for Urban Vagrants and Beggars

On August 1, 2003, the state promulgated the "Measures for the Administration of Relief for Vagrants and Beggars Without Assured Living Sources in Cities." Based on the principle of "Receiving aid of one's own free will, and giving help gratis," relief for vagrants and beggars who have no assured living sources in cities should be administered with compassion, and that relief should be provided in accordance with the different circumstances and needs of the recipients, so that they can receive relief in terms of food, lodging, medicare, communications, transportation to their hometowns and escort. By the end of 2003, some 909 such relief administrative centers had been set up throughout the country, offering help to 210,000 cases of urban vagrants and beggars who had no assured living sources that year.

Social Mutual Help

The state encourages and supports members of society to organize and participate voluntarily in the efforts to give help to the poor and needy, promotes the development of a social donation system, sets up and improves regular social institutions, and a network of offices and storage facilities to receive donations at any time from the general public. By the end of 2003, there were some 28,000 social donation centers in large and medium-sized cities and in some small cities with adequate facilities. From 1996 to 2003, a total of 23 billion yuan in donations was received from the general public (including goods converted into money), together with 960 million pieces of clothing and quilts, which helped an accumulative total of 400 million disaster victims and poverty-stricken people. Governments at the grassroots level also operate community services to provide care and services to the poor and needy. Trade unions at all levels organize "heart-warming activities" every year to offer help to badly-off families. From 1994 to early 2004, a total of 18.11 billion yuan had been raised for this purpose, and 55.778 million sympathy visits had been paid to families of poverty-stricken employees.

China's trade unions at all levels also organize mutual help and social security activities. By the end of 2003, some 18,000 mutualhelp and social security organizations had been set up by the nation's trade unions, with 7.23 million people participating in the social insurance program. Some 1,839 trade union organizations had started such employee mutual help and social security programs which covered 14.85 million participants, and six million cases were given assistance.

IX. Housing Security

The Chinese Government actively promotes the development of an urban housing security system which includes mainly the system of publicly accumulated housing funds, the system of generally affordable and functional housing, and the low-rent housing system for the purpose of unremittingly improving urban residents' housing conditions. By the end of 2003, the average floor space had reached 23.7 sq m per capita for urban residents.

The System of Publicly Accumulated Housing Funds The system of publicly accumulated housing funds is a policy-based financing channel by which the Chinese Government tries to solve the housing problem of employees. The funds are gathered monthly from government agencies, public institutions, enterprises, mass organizations, private non-enterprise units and their on-the-job employees in a certain proportion to the employees' salaries, and such funds belong to individual employees. The publicly accumulated housing funds are deposited in devoted accounts and are used exclusively for employees to purchase, build and renovate their houses, and can be loaned to the employees for these purposes. The publicly accumulated housing funds are characterized by obligation, mutual help and housing security. In 1994, this system was implemented in cities throughout China. In 1999, the state issued the "Regulations for the Management of the Publicly Accumulated Housing Funds," and reissued them in 2002, to ensure that the system functions in an institutionalized and standardized way. Now, an administrative system has been basically set up, which involves decision-making by the Administrative Committee of the Publicly Accumulated Housing Funds, operation by the Administrative Center of the Publicly Accumulated Housing Funds, deposit in devoted bank accounts as well as financial supervision. The publicly accumulated housing funds can be booked as cost of enterprises, and are exempt from personal income tax. The funds can also enjoy preferential low-interest loan policy. By the end of 2003, a total of 60.45 million employees throughout China had opened accounts for publicly accumulated housing funds, raising a total of 556.3 billion yuan, of which 174.3 billion yuan was withdrawn from the banks by employees for buying or building their houses or for retirement, and a total of 234.3 billion yuan was granted as personal housing loans to help 3.27 million employees' families to purchase or build houses. The system of publicly accumulated housing funds has played an important role in the improvement of people's housing conditions.