China's social security system taking shape

Although not very developed, China has put in place a rudimentary social security system, which is the world's largest and suitable to China's current social conditions, said a government report on Monday.

"China's social security developed rapidly in 2013, as it expanded constantly both in coverage and scope," said a report on China's human rights in 2013, issued by the State Council Information Office.

Full coverage was achieved by the new social endowment insurance system for rural residents and social endowment insurance for non-working urban residents in 2012, according to the report.

By the end of 2013, a total of 497.5 million rural and non-working urban residents had participated in social endowment insurance, an increase of 13.81 million compared with 2012.

A total of 322.18 million people had participated in the basic endowment insurance for urban workers by the end of 2013, an increase of 17.91 million compared with 2012.

In February 2014, the State Council issued a circular which integrates the new social endowment insurance system for rural residents with the social endowment insurance system for non-working urban residents, and build a unified basic pension insurance system for both rural and non-working urban residents nationwide.

"China has established and improved its medical insurance system to protect both rural and urban residents' right to medical treatment," the report said.

So far, China has established a basic national medical insurance system, and kept raising its standard, it said.

More than 1.3 billion people, or over 90 percent of the total population, have participated in medical insurance for non-working urban workers, basic medical insurance for urban residents or the new rural cooperative medical care system.

Steady development has been seen in unemployment insurance, work-related injury insurance and maternity insurance, which are playing an increasingly bigger role in helping the insured to maintain their living standards and obtain medical treatment and maternity protection, the report said.