China is encouraging more people to get involved with community volunteer services, and authorities expect to have an eight percent participation rate by 2008, up from the current three percent, an official in charge of community work said at Saturday's volunteer registration exercise.

"Compared with developed countries, where 30 to 40 percent of citizens have been involved in volunteer work, China has to improve, especially as the country is preparing for the 2008 Olympic Games," said Ma Xueli, vice chairman of the China Association of Social Workers (CASW).

Saturday's registration exercise was part of a bid to standardize volunteer work across the country through improved supervision of volunteers and a reward system.

Community service ranges from aiding the poor, helping the elderly and disabled, and conducting environmental protection activities to delivering classes to residents.

"It could be any form of help that meets people's needs," said Cao Zhengguang, a CASW staff member.

"Volunteer community service could help to draw people closer as many Chinese feel the distance between people continues to widen China's market economy booms," said Li Chunli, an employee at Tianqiao Sub-district office in southeastern Beijing.

At last count on Saturday morning, Tianqiao Sub-district had registered 1,513 volunteers.

China started volunteer community services in 1989. To date, there are about 75,000 community volunteer organizations with 16 million members throughout the country, according to CASW.

During the summer Olympics and the Paralympics in 2008, Beijing needs a record number of 120,000 volunteers: 100,000 as frontline workers and at least 20,000 as a reserve force.

Beijing announced that the sweet smiles of its Olympics Volunteers will be its best business card.
Earlier this year, the State Council issued a document to boost China's public service system, especially the community services arm, by making it a branch of the social security network.

(Xinhua News Agency June 26, 2006)