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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) — Yiwu City in east China's Zhejiang Province, also known as the "global supermarket," has become the first county-level city in China to have its foreign nationals covered by basic medical insurance exceed 10,000, the overseas edition of People's Daily reported on Tuesday.
On December 17, a Russian citizen named Sofia, who is classified as a flexible worker, received a social security card, becoming the 10,000th foreign participant in basic health insurance in Yiwu.
Yiwu maintains trade relations with 233 countries and regions worldwide. Around 30,000 foreign businesspeople and over 1,500 accompanying relatives conduct their daily activities here. Previously, only those employed by companies were eligible for basic health insurance, while flexible workers and many accompanying relatives were unable to access this service.
“In order to address this complex issue, the Yiwu City Medical Insurance Bureau, with the approval of the National Medical Insurance Administration of the People’s Republic of China, has begun to study the possibility of issuing permission to foreigners with a residence permit for two years or more to participate in basic medical insurance as flexible workers,” said Lou Jun, head of the department.
In August 2025, a South Korean citizen doing business in Yiwu City became China's first foreign participant in basic medical insurance as a flexible worker.
In Yiwu, eligible foreign workers can enroll in health insurance. They pay the same premiums as Chinese citizens and enjoy the same rights as local residents in terms of service coverage and reimbursement rates. Foreign children who qualify for education in Yiwu primary and middle schools can participate in local health insurance, including basic health insurance and serious illness insurance.
In early November of this year, a Moroccan man working in Yiwu sought cholecystectomy at the Fourth Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University. At the time of discharge, most of his medical expenses, amounting to over 10,000 yuan, were covered by the medical insurance fund.
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