X-6 Question: Some foreign media reported that the majority of the 800 million Chinese farmers cannot enjoy social security system and thus are facing unpredictable expenditures for their medical treatment and great risks of falling into poverty. Would you please introduce the truth? Are there any social security system established for farmers in vast rural areas in China?

A: The social security problem of China's 800 million farmers was exaggerated by foreign media. Chinese farmers are included in China's social security system, though the social security they are enjoying is much lower than that of urban residents. After the new China was founded in 1949, Chinese Government established a collaborative medical security system and basic-living guarantee system in rural areas. The latest statistics show that by 2006, the population of absolute poverty in China's rural areas was only 21.48 million and the number of low-income people was 35.5 million, accounting for 3.5 percent of rural population in China. The poverty is mainly caused by disease, disabling, old age, weakness, lack of or low working ability and adverse living conditions. Helping these people out of poverty is the basis of the basic-living guarantee system in rural areas.

With the development of China's economy, resolving the problems of social security system for farmers in vast rural areas has become a focus of Chinese Government's work, since it is impossible for China to build a well-off society in an all-round manner without the full development in the rural areas. Considering the fact that farmers become impoverished because of diseases, China launched the New Cooperative Medical System in rural areas in 2003. This system is expected to fundamentally alleviate farmers' problem of becoming impoverished because of diseases.

Meanwhile, China also established a basic-living guarantee system in its rural areas. By the end of February 2007, a total of 25 provinces have established the system, benefiting 15.09 million people, 6.84 million more than the end of 2005, up 82 percent. In 2006, Chinese Government totally handed out the guarantee subsidy of 4.16 billion yuan, 1.63 billion yuan more than that of 2005, up 64 percent. In 2007, the system will cover the whole nation's rural areas, which will include all the people who do not have working ability and cannot afford themselves, and old people, disabled people and minors who do not have legal relatives to support them.

The series of social security system will benefit the 800 million Chinese farmers since it will not only improves the living standards of impoverished farmers, maintains rural social stability and promote economic and social development in rural areas, but also benefits tens of millions of impoverished farmers and all the Chinese farmers, making them enjoy the fruits of reform and opening up policy together with urban residents.

(China.org.cn)