China's Fujian Province issues integrated work permit-social security card to foreign workers

East China's coastal province of Fujian started to issue a new integrated work permit-social security card to foreign people in the city of Xiamen on Thursday.

Foreign people working in the city may go to designated banks with their passports to go through a quick registration process, and then will receive a physical card after a waiting period of about 20 minutes. The card makes necessary work permit-related procedures more streamlined and provides them with easier access to services.

Starting January 2025, foreign people in Xiamen will be able to apply for the card at six designated service points at the Bank of China's Xiamen branches.

"Foreign people can use this card to access related information. They can also enjoy services such as the city's transportation and tourism integrated pass. In the next phase, the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security will expand this service to 16 bank branches across the city, making it easier for more foreign people to obtain the card," said Li Yunpeng, director of the foreign employment division of the bureau.

China's Fujian Province issues integrated work permit-social security card to foreign workers

At least 200 miners were killed after several mine shafts collapsed at coltan sites in Rubaya of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a spokesperson for the March 23 Movement rebel group confirmed on Friday.

Most of the victims were artisanal miners who were buried, the spokesperson said, adding that children and women were also among the dead.

The collapses occurred on Wednesday and Thursday at different coltan mines in Rubaya, an area controlled by the rebels since April 2024.

Coltan, or columbite-tantalite, is the main source of tantalum, a rare metal used in the production of advanced electronic devices. The United Nations estimated that the Rubaya mines alone account for about 15 percent of the global tantalum supply.

At least 200 killed in mine collapse in eastern DR Congo