BEIJING - China will integrate financial functions into social security cards to provide fast and convenient services for the country's citizens, Hu Xiaoyi, vice minister of Human Resources and Social Security, said Tuesday.
The multi-purpose social security cards will allow their holders to complete a variety of tasks including withdrawing money from their accounts, settling medical bills and other transactions, Hu said at a press conference.
As many as 145 million social security cards have been provided to Chinese citizens as of the end of July, and the number is expected to exceed 190 million by the year's end, he said
The country aims to issue 800 million social security cards by the end of 2015, covering 60 percent of the country's total population, according to the country's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).
