Rural residents get pension recognition

Several provinces are combining rural and urban pensions, as an editorial in Beijing News pointed out (excerpts below).

According to a report by the Xinhua News Agency, Shandong province recently issued a regulation that will combine urban and rural pension systems.

This is a good move but some analysts have expressed concern. Their concern is unfounded.

Jiangsu province already adopted the measure.

About 10 million rural residents started enjoying equal welfare as urban residents.

The cost was about 2 billion yuan ($320 million) annually. That is a relatively small sum.

Other provinces must adopt the measure. For too long rural residents have not enjoyed benefits they should be entitled to.