China nullifies 270,000 fake IDs

BEIJING - China's police have found 271,000 fake or duplicate ID records in the first half of this year, all of which have been nullified, the Ministry of Public Security said on Saturday.

A total of 149 cases of counterfeiting and selling fake ID cards or "hukou" documents have been solved and 46 members of the police system have been punished for involvement, the ministry said in a statement.

Cases of officials and Communist Party of China (CPC) members having two or more ID or hukou registrations should be reported to local CPC disciplinary and organization authorities, it said.

Hukou is China's household registration and administration system, which is linked to citizens' ID cards and records.

Last year, China found and nullified 790,000 fake IDs.

At a national public security meeting on Friday, Vice Public Security Minister Huang Ming pledged efforts to deal with the problem of incorrect, fake or duplicate ID information to ensure the accuracy and authority of the country's ID numbers and hukou records.

The ministry has also ordered a serious investigation and crackdowns on the selling and purchasing of fake hukou.

By the end of this year, a system to check ID information through image matching technology will be set up across the country.

Police members found to have been involved in creating fake IDs must be sacked from their public security posts and if they have received bribes, they will also be punished according to the law, the statement said.

Last year, Gong Ai'ai, a woman dubbed "Sister House" by Chinese netizens for having over 40 properties in Beijing despite property market restrictions, was sentenced to three years in prison for forging IDs and residency records.

One former police officer in the northwestern province of Shaanxi was sentenced to one year in prison for helping Gong obtain the fake IDs.