Reform meeting tables healthcare, environmental, hukou proposals

BEIJING - Senior Chinese officials tabled proposals ranging from healthcare reform to central management of national parks at a major government meeting on Wednesday.

Chairing the meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform, President Xi Jinping said China had "gained good momentum in reform this year, and in 2016, the beginning of the 13th Five-Year Plan, efforts need to be focused on the target of building a moderately prosperous society."

The officials approved plans to merge China's two medical insurance schemes for urban and rural residents in a bid to guarantee equal access to basic healthcare.

According to a statement issued after the meeting, they called for the creation of a "multi-layered medical security net" integrating basic medical insurance, insurance for major diseases, medical assistance, commercial medical insurance and charity funds.

Unregistered citizens were also promised household registration permits, also known as "hukou," a crucial document entitling them to social welfare, during the meeting.

"It is a basic legal right for Chinese citizens to lawfully register for hukou. It's also a premise for citizens to participate in social affairs, enjoy rights and fulfill duties," the statement said.

The leading group stressed that hukou registration should be coordinated with family planning, adoption, aid for the homeless and nationality management.

It also proposed running a pilot project in Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve, a region considered the cradle of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers in northwest China's Qinghai Province, with a view to creating centrally-controlled national parks.

"The pilot is significant because it will ensure natural resources in the region can be shared by people nationwide," the statement said.

The meeting also made decisions to raise government working efficiency, further opening up the educational sector, step up the judicial system reform and improve the management of police officers, according to the statement.

Premier Li Keqiang, Liu Yunshan, a senior official with the Communist Party of China, and Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli attended the meeting.