Beijing ends urban-rural hukou distinction

Beijing has ended the distinction between urban and rural residents in the city’s household registration system, giving both groups access to the same level of public services, but analysts said it may not immediately narrow the gap between city and countryside. The decision announced on Monday will affect 2.9 million residents categorized as agricultural workers, Caixin reports. The central government decided to abolish the nearly six-decade-long distinction between agricultural and non-agricultural workers in the country’s household registration system in 2013. Beijing has lagged behind other major cities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou when pushing for reforms. The change is part of the country’s urbanization push, which aims to have 60 percent of its population living in cities by 2020.