As nearly 60 percent, or 86 million elderly people in China live in rural areas, the country is probing the establishment of an old-age security system in the areas, says a white paper issued by the information Office of China's State Council Tuesday.

The document, titled "The Development of China's Undertakings for The Aged," says that the government has begun to study the establishment of an old-age social security system in rural areas in order to guarantee the basic livelihood of the elderly people, by highlighting the role of the land and the family in providing for elderly people.

By the end of 2005, the paper says, about 1,900 counties in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities under the central government had established their own old-age social insurance systems.

More than 54 million farmers were involved, with the accumulated insurance funds reaching 31 billion yuan (US$4.2 billion). And more than three million farmers now receive pensions.

In recent years, the government has gradually established a uniform basic old-age insurance system in urban areas. The white paper says that by the end of 2005, the number of people participating in the basic old-age insurance scheme across China had reached 175 million, 43.67 million of whom were retirees.

The ageing of China's population accelerated in the first years of the new century. By the end of 2005, there were close to 144 million people over the age of 60 in China, accounting for 11 percent of its entire population, posing a big challenge to the government on how to guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly people.

(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2006)