Decision to cancel household status put on hold in ShanghaiChinese people who live abroad and have not renounced their Chinese citizenship can keep their Shanghai hukou (household registration) intact - at least for now - according to the Shanghai Public Security Bureau.Updated regulations on the registration system take effect on May 1.The announcement was made by the bureau on Sunday, after publication of the updated regulations two weeks ago raised public concerns.A clause required those living outside China or those who have renounced their Chinese nationality to report to the bureau and give up their hukou within one month after the regulations take effect.The latest announcement said the cancellation of hukou has been put on hold for overseas residents because there is no specific legal definition of the group under China's Exit and Entry Administration Law.Zhuang Liqiang, the Shanghai bureau's spokesman, responded to questions from China Daily on Monday saying there is no timetable for defining the affected group.A statement issued by the State Council's Overseas Chinese Affairs Office in 2009, however, identified overseas residents as those who have settled abroad for more than 18 months within two years.Although the bureau emphasized in an earlier clarification last week that the requirement has been in effect since the first regulations were published in 2003, major concerns and controversies have arisen over the past week.Sixty million Chinese people had settled outside the country as of 2015, making it the world's biggest source of immigrants, according to a report by the Center for China and Globalization, a think tank. In the United States alone, 903,000 Chinese were granted permanent residence permits between 2000 and 2013, second only to Mexico.Dual nationality is not recognized by China.Despite Shanghai's relaxed regulation being only locally effective, there are worries that the municipality might simply be a test to reinforce the rule nationwide."A Chinese citizen deprived of hukou could end up being a second-class citizen," said Zhou Haiwang, a demographer at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.Concerns include the inconvenience brought up by the denial of an ID card, resulting from a hukou cancellation, which could cause trouble in air travel, hotel check-ins and registration of bank accounts in China.Shanghai's updated regulation proposed that a canceled hukou can be retrieved once its owner returns to the homeland and settles down.The hukou system is a unique residency policy instituted in the 1950s. A person's hukou suggests more than geographical dwelling place but also a string of social and economic benefits and welfare that involves the education of children, pension benefits, medical care, the right to buy or inherit property and even to obtain a car license plate in big cities like Shanghai and [email protected]custom bar braceletcustom sports braceletscustom logo wristbandsde securite pour personne ageeembossed wristbandscolorfilled wristbandsembossed printed wristbandsdual layer wristbands
Jiang Lixin (center), vice-president of Fuwai Hospital, interacts with reporters at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday. [Photo by ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY] A senior medical scientist called on Wednesday for improved integration of big data technology with the medical care sector in China to improve healthcare services at the grassroots level. My biggest dream is to see advanced technologies that China excels in, such as big data, internet and artificial intelligence technologies, being widely used in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases, said Jiang Lixin, vice-president of Fuwai Hospital, at a news conference on China's scientific achievements held by the State Council Information Office. Tools developed with such technologies that aid diagnostic and treatment decision-making can quickly help improve the quality of diagnosis and treatment at the grassroots level, so patients in remote mountainous areas can enjoy the same medical services as those in places such as Beijing. Jiang said she has visited many clinics in rural areas, and finds gaps in education and skills there compared with doctors in big hospitals. The tools can help guide and improve their work, even if they have no idea of the exact reason, she said. This will help them greatly improve their diagnostic ability and treatment of diseases. A major task of the ongoing healthcare reform in China is to promote a more balanced distribution of medical resources between different regions and different types of medical institutions, with health authorities releasing more measures in recent years to encourage the development of community hospitals and clinics. China will promote the application of AI technology in the healthcare sector to improve services for patients, especially at the grassroots level, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said. In China, AI technology is being used in a number of areas, including remote care services, assisting diagnosis and treatment, and improving health management through wearable devices, according to the commission. An example is Watson for Oncology, developed by US company IBM, which has been used in dozens of hospitals in China since it was introduced to the Chinese mainland in March. The platform is designed to assist clinicians in developing treatment plans for breast, lung, colorectal, cervical, ovarian, gastric and prostate cancers, according to IBM. Treatment options for lung cancer patients recommended by the platform are more than 96 percent consistent with those offered by experts at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University in Shandong province, said Zhang Xiaochun, an oncologist at the hospital. Jiang, from Fuwai Hospital, said China's experiences in integrating big data technology with medical care may be extended to some other countries to help them improve medical care services.
