CHINA'S THIRD-GENERATION OF SOCIAL SECURITY CARDS, which are reportedly capable of contactless operation and connected to many online service platforms, will be piloted in some regions this year. Guangming Daily commented on Tuesday:

Designed to guarantee all holders enjoy full rights to employment and medical insurance at every stage of their lives, social security cards are by their nature versatile and should be able to take care of citizens from the cradle to the grave.

However, most of their more than 100 basic functions are underused, because some can only be used locally and some only according to several preconditions. The healthcare insurance, for instance, remains idle most of the time until the card holder is hospitalized.