A representative of the Consular Affairs Department at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, in Ottawa, stated "all information regarding the [identification] ID remains unchanged" (18 Feb. 2004). Therefore, information provided by the Embassy in 1997 and 1998 remains current:

1. The rounded corners of the paper card are machine cut.

2. The laminate does not contain any design separate from the paper card itself.

3. The edges of the paper card should be perfectly straight.

4. The Chinese characters on the back of the card should be perfectly horizontal.

5. The coloured design on both sides should go right to the edge of the card (30 Dec. 1997).

In a telephone interview of 8 January 1998, an official of the office of the Consul General stated that the current Chinese Resident Identity Card has been in use since 30 June 1989. Once the card is issued it is valid for twenty years (8 Jan. 1998).

According to information provided to the Research Directorate by a program officer with the Intelligence and Interdiction Unit of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) in 1999,

both counterfeit cards and fraudulently obtained but legitimately produced cards are obtainable and in circulation, and ... possession of a legitimately produced identity card does not guarantee that it was legitimately obtained.

...

[Regarding] possible indicators as to whether or not an identity card was legitimately produced:

On counterfeit cards the background pattern of interwoven lines that appears on both sides of the card may have the appearance of a series of discrete dots, like a silk screen effect; on legitimately produced cards these will appear as continuous lines, due to the offset printing technique used.

Counterfeit cards may have handcut corners of uneven radius; legitimately produced cards have die cut corners of consistent radius.

On counterfeit cards the background pattern on the face side of the card may not extend right to the edge of the card but instead fades out, leaving an unprinted area; on legitimately produced cards the background printing extends to all edges of the cards on both sides.

On counterfeit cards some details of the outline map of China may be incorrect, the shape of Hainan island off the southern coast may be shaped inaccurately with a more oblique appearance, the same may also be true of the Heilongjiang peninsula in the northeast; on legitimately produced cards, all map details will be correct (CIC 24 Mar. 1999).

Attempts were made to update the aforementioned information; however, no further details on the format, appearance and manufacture of Chinese resident identity cards could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

With respect to the procedures for replacing a lost or stolen identity card, a representative at the Canadian immigration office in Beijing stated that

if a PRC citizen loses an [identification] ID card, they will go to their local police substation that is responsible for issuing the Family Registration Booklets ('hukou') and ID cards. The police substation is responsible for registering all people (foreigners too) that are living in their jurisdiction, including temporary residents. If one moves, then one is required to register the change of address. As a result, when a PRC citizen loses an ID card, they have to pay a nominal handling fee, and bring a couple of photos along for a re-issuance (the records of the citizen's hukou and previous ID applications will all be kept there). A person doesn't have to come in themselves with the photo, a relative may come in their place. A new ID card should have the new date of issue, with a new period of validity from that new issuance date. The present card doesn't have space for remarks, such as whether or not the previous card was lost. One would have to check directly with the issuing office, which may or may not be possible (some requiring the protocol of foreign missions going through central government ministries for such simple checks).

Note that as China is such a vast country, and with many places stretching out into remote areas, that have different customs and methods of doing things, one quite often sees differences in the way things are handled by different regional government organs. So what may be done in Beijing, may not be exactly followed somewhere 2-3,000 kms away (CIC 1 Apr. 2004).

According to an article from the China Daily Website, the provincial Public Security Bureau in Guangdong Province was to begin implementing measures to cut bureaucracy starting on 1 January 2004 (15 Oct. 2003). The article states that people who lose their identity cards will no longer have to wait three months for new identification but will be able to receive a new card once they report the lost ID to the department in charge of issuing the card (China Daily 15 Oct. 2003). No information on the procedures for reporting a lost card was provided in the article.

The representative of the Consular Affairs Department at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, in Ottawa, also mentioned that China is developing a new identification card to replace the current card, although the exact date of its introduction is unknown (18 Feb. 2004).

According to Xinhua news agency, China will introduce new identification cards as early as March 2004 (28 Jan. 2004). While the new cards are not expected to be in use across the country until 2008, residents of Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzen and Changsha will be among the first to receive the card (DIMIA 12 Feb. 2004; Xinhua 28 Jan. 2004). The cards are reportedly made of polyester plastic and measure 85.6 mm by 54 mm (ibid.). Ministry officials maintain that the ID cards, which can be read by a computer, will allow the government ease of managing population changes and movements, and at the same time allow its citizens freer migration (ibid.).

Xinhua announced that on 1 January 2004, the Law on Citizen Identification Cards would be enacted (1 Jan. 2004). According to the news agency, the new law is "an improvement on the resident ID card regulations adopted in 1985 because it focuses more on safeguarding civil rights" (Xinhua 1 Jan. 2004).

The China Daily Website maintains that "the rights of citizens will be better protected while the power of public security authorities will be more restricted under [the] new law" (30 June 2003). The law proscribes any organization or individual, except the police, from checking or confiscating a person's ID card (China Daily 30 June 2003). Moreover, the police are required both to have "good reasons" to seize a card and to keep confidential any personal information that is obtained from the identification (ibid.; People's Daily 28 June 2003).

Individuals under 16 years of age will also be eligible for ID cards, making tasks such as opening a bank account, catching a plane, or anything else that requires identification easier for them (China Daily 30 June 2003). A youth's guardian will be responsible for filing an application for a card and the card will be valid for five years (ibid.). According to the Ministry of Public Security, possession of the cards will be mandatory for people over 16 years of age and voluntary for those under 16 (DIMIA 12 Feb. 2004).

This Response incorporates information from CHN30580.E of 24 March 1999.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Australia. Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA). 12 February 2004. Correspondence sent by a representative.

China Daily. 15 October 2003. "New Measures Cut Bureaucracy." http://service.china.org.cn/link/wcm/Show_Text?info_id=77345&p_qry=identity%20and%20measures [Accessed 2 Feb. 2004]

_____. 30 June 2003. "ID Card Law to Protect Citizenship." http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-06/30/content_241995.htm [Accessed 9 Feb. 2004]

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Migration Integrity Unit, Beijing. 1 April 2004. Correspondence sent by a representative.

_____. Intelligence and Interdiction Unit, Ottawa. 24 March 1999. Interview with Program Officer.

Embassy of the People's Republic of China, Ottawa. 18 February 2004. Correspondence sent by a Consular Affairs representative.

_____. 8 January 1998. Interview with the assistant to the consul general.

_____. 30 December 1997. Correspondence sent by a counsellor and the consul general.

People's Daily. 28 June 2003. "China's Top Legislature Passes ID Card Law." http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200306/28/eng20030628_119040.shtml [Accessed 9 Feb. 2004]

Xinhua. 28 January 2004. "China to Issue Smart ID Cards." http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2004-01/28/content_301237.htm [Accessed 7 Apr. 2004]

_____. 1 January 2004. "New Laws, Regulations Protect Civil Rights." http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2004-01/01/content_295037.htm [Accessed 9 Feb. 2004]

Additional Sources Consulted

Unsuccessful attempts to obtain information from Human Rights in China, New York.

Internet sites, including: China.org.cn; ChinaSite.com; ChinaWe.com; ECOI.net; Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States; Human Rights in China; Novexcn.com; UNHCR's Country of Origin and Legal Information; World News Connection.