Three million electronic social security cards issued in 230 cities

China has issued 3 million electronic social security cards, the latest figures from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS) showed.

By Jan 23, electronic social security cards have been issued in 230 cities in 26 provinces across the country, according to data from the ministry. Currently, social security card holders can apply for an e-card from 58 apps.

The e-card, which is applicable nationwide, can be used as a recognized form of ID and contains functions such as information record, self-service enquiry, medical insurance settlements and payments, and financial payment.

Each electronic social security card corresponds with an actual social security card; therefore card holders can get things done through scanning their QR code of the e-card even if they forget to bring the actual social security card.

The first electronic social security card was issued in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, in April 2018, and the e-card has been rapidly growing in popularity because it is easy to obtain and use. Cities including Lishui in Zhejiang province, Fuzhou in Fujian province, Xinyu in Jiangxi province, Guangzhou in Guangdong province, Nanning in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Haikou in Hainan province and Chengdu in Sichuan province, have launched the e-card.

The electronic social security card is an important measure in building a unified social security service platform and promoting Internet Plus human resources and social security services, said Zhai Yanli, head of the information center with the MHRSS.

The electronic social security card has adopted a number of internet security technologies including electronic authentication and artificial intelligence, to prevent identity theft and card fraud, the ministry said.

By the end of 2018, China has more than 1.2 billion social security card holders, accounting for 88 percent of the total population, according to the MHRSS. With the popularity of the electronic social security card, the ministry will build a service system which integrates online and offline functions of the social security card and offer card holders more extensive and thoughtful services in the future.