Shenzhen social security authority has said it will replace all of its old magnetic social security cards with new integrated circuit (IC) ones within three years to provide a more comprehensive service for residents.

The IC card, which adheres to national standards and design, will allow mainland residents to enjoy social security benefits anywhere in the city once the national social security network is built, a spokesperson for the labor and social security bureau said earlier this month.

The new card features more storage and better security, bureau chief Guan Lingen said when issuing the first 47 new cards.

Despite functional improvements, the cards can currently be used only in Shenzhen, but will be usable in other Guangdong cities within two years, the local administration for the social security fund said.

"The provincial government has planned to integrate the platforms of its cities' social security funds within two years," Wang, a press officer with the bureau, said.

"By then, all cardholders' social security information can be used freely in any city in the province."

Under current circumstances, millions of migrant laborers have had no choice but to withdraw the funds in their social security cards when they decided to permanently leave the city in which they had worked for years.

In the future, it will be possible for people to use a single social security card nationwide, as mechanisms for transferring endowment insurance and other insurances among provinces and cities is expected to be introduced this year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said.

(China Daily March 26, 2008)