By 2025, China\u2019s welfare spending could rise to over a third of gross domestic product. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has committed to expanding its programme of welfare expansion across childcare, education<\/a>, employment, medical services, elderly care, housing and social assistance, but serious obstacles remain. Here is a snapshot of the current policy paths being undertaken.<\/p>\n China\u2019s \u201chukou<\/em>\u201d system requires residents to register in a particular area. For sixty years, the policy has been a key determinant of access to public services and protection from the state. In cities, where competition for resources is fierce, an urban hukou<\/em> is needed for everything from health insurance and school and university <\/a>places, to certain jobs and even to buy property.<\/p>\n First introduced in 1958 in the early years of the Communist regime, the hukou<\/em> (literally translated as \u201chousehold individual\u201d) was envisaged as a modern way to track the population and control internal migration across a vast country. In 1985, it was extended into physical form through the creation of ID cards.<\/p>\n Today, certain privileges are reserved for \u201creal\u201d city residents, effectively meaning those from elsewhere, particularly migrant populations, are often treated as second-class citizens. This has meant that hukou<\/em> reform has become central to achieving China\u2019s current 14th five-year plan<\/a> to alleviate poverty and make China a near-majority middle-income country.<\/p>\n More than half of the Chinese population now live in cities, but only 35% of city dwellers have an urban hukou<\/em>. It is estimated 250 million migrant workers lack access to social payments, whether for children\u2019s education or medical assistance.<\/p>\n![\"launchpad](\"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/lp-general.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nUrban migration<\/h4>\n