Hukou should be scrapped: Experts

The household registration (hukou) system should be scrapped in three to five years so that farmers enjoy the same status as urbanities, a government-sponsored expert group has suggested.

The proposal, which China Daily obtained yesterday, means that millions of migrant workers in cities will get the same social benefits in employment, education, healthcare and housing as their urban counterparts.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which conducted a research on the issue along with the Australian government, did not comment on the timetable but expressed "solid support" for the reform.