Nation to register all citizens for benefits

China is on a drive to register all its citizens, including those born illegally under the one-child policy, so they qualify for the hukou papers that allow access to social welfare.

The General Office of the State Council said on Thursday that it will order local authorities to register children regardless of the legality of their birth.

According to 2010 national census data, China has around 13 million unregistered citizens. Local authorities may have refused to register children born in breach of the family planning policy, or parents of such children may not have registered them out of fear of punishment.