Fingerprint registration is coming to China

The Beijing Daily Messenger, formerly known as the Star Daily, is a weekday newspaper distributed on the Beijing subway. Today’s front page features the headline, “a generation of ID cards will be retired next year.” According to the article, the Vice Minister of Public Security, Huang Ming said that China will fully switch to fingerprint registration and no longer use ID cards by January 30, 2013. Public security organs are preparing for the switch by taking down people’s fingerprint information when they either go to apply for this second generation of identity registration, or go to renew or replace documents. The article stresses that the policy will be based on voluntary participation, and that public security organs are not allowed to force mass registration of fingerprint information.

A second headline is about food safety in the capital. It reads, “This year, the sources of all milk and meat will be investigated.” It seems that at the 33^rd meeting of the 13^th Standing Committee that was held yesterday, Beijing’s Vice Mayor Ji made a motion to improve the quality of food in Beijing by focusing attention on the sources. They plan to compare the production of vegetables, grain, pigs, poultry, sheep and cattle in Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi and other places with the goal of having the city’s food basket meet environmental standards by end of the 12^th Five Year Plan.

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Beijing Daily Messenger:  一代证明年起停用 ; 奶粉鲜肉年内全能追溯