Chinese citizens will get new ID called a "citizen's ID card" to
replace their current "resident's ID card", possible as early as
next year.
A
draft law on the citizen's ID card, submitted on Friday to the
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's
top legislature, says that every Chinese citizen will have a single
18-digit citizen's ID number.
On
September 6, 1985, the Sixth NPC Standing Committee passed at its
30th meeting the Regulations on Identity Cards which set up an ID
card system.
The new ID card, however, will use magnetic strip technology, which
will give the police information about the card holder if the card
is scanned.
Luo Feng, vice-minister of public security, explained that the
draft law would broaden the scope for issuing ID cards and every
Chinese citizen aged over 16 could apply for one.
Overseas Chinese, those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and
foreigners with Chinese citizenship, all of whom reside on the
Chinese mainland, can apply for the new ID card.
According to current practice, however, ID cards are not issued to
service men and armed police, or to people sentenced to criminal
detention, jail or re-education through labor, or to those in
custody who do not have ID.
The draft law also sets out strict rules for checking and
suspending ID cards.
No
official unit or individual is entitled to suspend a citizen's ID
except that the police can suspend the ID card of someone detained
under the Criminal Procedure Law.
According to the draft law, the current ID cards will remain valid
until they expire.
China has issued a total of 1.14 billion ID cards since the system
was established in September 1985.
(eastday.com October 25,
2002)