Over the past few days, a rule for Shanghai citizens announced on the public security bureau’s website has raised concerns amongst netizens.
The rule, published on March 13, relates to Chinese citizens living abroad, and states they should report to the police so that their local hukou (residency permit) can be canceled. Those who do not report to authorities will have their hukou forcibly terminated.
The hukou or ‘household registration’ system is assigned at birth based on one’s community and family. China’s hukou system, amongst others, separates peasants from urban citizens and is essential to access social services such as education and healthcare.
On March 21, state tabloid Global Times suggested that the rule, which will go into effect on May 1st, “will help [the] government in its anti-graft campaign and crack down on illegal asylum seekers.”
In a recent article, Radio Free Asia interviewed a Shanghai resident with a permanent residency Australia, who said that it was because “they don’t want us to enjoy the benefits of residency in two countries.”
The policy is worrisome for Shanghai citizens who have green cards for the US or Australia, for example, but do not actually live there or do not live there permanently. The process of regaining a hukou is complex.
On Sunday, March 25, Shanghai authorities posted a notice on the ‘Police & Community’ Weibo channel (@警民直通车-上海), saying that there have been many responses to its policy announcement, and that people particularly wondered if their hukou would now be terminated by police if they were residing abroad.
The notice clarifies that the policy at hand has actually already been drawn up in 2005, but that the details on how these rules are to be implemented are not yet clear. “Therefore,” the notice says: “the Shanghai public security bureau will not cancel the hukou of citizens residing abroad at this stage.”
By Sunday afternoon, the announcement was shared over 12,000 times and discussed by thousands of people.
Many people agree that the hukou should not be canceled. As one person (@上个世纪的艾琳) comments: “Right now, many people only settle down abroad for the sake of their child’s education. They have no intention of becoming American. The welfare in China is built on the social insurance they paid for all those years, and they won’t receive any welfare while living in the US.”
“Even with a green card, you’re still a Chinese citizen, for what reason would their residency permit be terminated?!”, another commenter writes.
“The biggest worry is social insurance,” one Weibo user (@励志青年_123) argues: “if the hukou is canceled, the social insurance is already handed over, but if one has moved abroad, what should they do when they retire?”
Some also say they appreciate the response of the Public Security Bureau: “The Shanghai city government has listened to the people an has responded with an open response. I like it.”
“All this panic for nothing,” some say.
“Thanks Shanghai,” another person writes: “Let’s say no to unreasonable policies.”
By Manya Koetse
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