Michael, from Britain, safeguarded his legal rights to social insurance recently, reported the Jiangnan Evening News.

Michael has worked in an English training institution in Wuxi since he came to China with his girlfriend Ms. Wang, a native of Wuxi, from the UK.

In spite of high salaries, the institution didn't pay for social insurance for its foreign employees.

Michael's future mother-in-law, Mrs. Wang, asked about it and learned that foreign employees must pay for social insurance, according to legal provisions.

Therefore, Wang took Michael to the local labor security supervision detachment to complain. Under law enforcement's supervision, the training institution paid for his social insurance.

More foreigners are working in Wuxi due to the city's development; meanwhile, the number of complaints from foreigners grows every year, said a director of the detachment.

The Social Insurance Law, which was adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, took effect in July 2011.

The law specifies that all citizens have a right to five forms of insurance: basic endowment insurance, basic medical insurance, worker injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance.

The five forms of insurance, paid for by individuals, employers and the government, accumulate trillions of yuan in deposits.

China plans to spend 5.74 trillion yuan ($857.89 billion) by 2020 on a social welfare system to improve people's livelihoods, according to the China Development Research Foundation, a government think tank.

Provisions relating to social insurance for foreigners working in China are also included.

China's economy and society are opening up. Such a regulation follows international practice and gives equal national treatment to foreigners working in the country.

Edited by Andrew Ancheta