Up to 12.35 million people nationwide have enjoyed the guaranteed minimum wage thus far, and more than 90 per cent of the wages went to unemployed workers and their families, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

So far, 12 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country, including Beijing and Shanghai, Jiangsu, Guangdong and Heilongjiang provinces, have essentially fulfilled the goal of "covering all those who should be covered."

Civil affairs departments at all levels are currently working on budgets for this year devoted to helping the impoverished and will soon submit them to financial departments, according to the minister.

The central government will continue to increase its financial contributions to those budgets this year, he said.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security also issued an order on Wednesday demanding local authorities to earmark at least 15 to 20 per cent of this year's budget to help the poor, mainly in the delivery of unemployment subsidies and retirement pensions.

In Northeast China's Liaoning Province, 1.06 million poor residents were covered by a guaranteed minimum wage policy by the end of last year, an increase of 300,000 compared with 2000.

Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province delivered more than 1 million yuan (US$120,000) in subsidies to around 700 poor families last year.

In North China's Shanxi Province, subsidies from local governments have been issued to more than 400,000 impoverished urban residents, ensuring that "they will have dumplings to eat" during the upcoming Spring Festival - the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year.

For the rural poor, the State Council Poverty Alleviation Office pledged to earmark a total of 10.6 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion) from the State budget this year to certain poor counties designated by the State.

Since Shanghai initiated the guaranteed minimum wage system in 1993, the practice has become popular across the country. By September 1999, all of China's cities and most of its counties had implemented such a system.

(China Daily February 9, 2002)