More foreigners get residency permits

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Chinese green cards help attract talent from abroad and enhance the country's interaction with the world, an official says.

A larger number of Chinese permanent residency permits were issued in 2012 than in previous years, a police official said.

Zheng Baigang, head of the Ministry of Public Security's Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration, told China Daily that 1,202 permits were granted last year, up more than 83 percent from the previous year.

Of those who received the permits, more than half are family members who came for a reunion and the rest are mostly professionals, executives and professors, according to the ministry.

Most are from the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia and Germany, and mainly live in big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

"The principle of China's 'green card' regulation is to attract foreign talent to promote economic and social development and enhance international communication," Zheng said.

Ada Jen, a Chinese American who applied for a Chinese permanent residency permit in 2011, said it brings her a sense of belonging, which she eagerly wants in China.

The permit can provide some privileges and more convenience in the country, such as social insurance and reduced work restrictions, said the 66-year-old, who is a government affairs director at an international school in Beijing.

Mu Yansong, an official with the Beijing Exit-Entry Administration, said 266 foreigners applied for Chinese residency permits in Beijing last year, up from 176 in 2010.

Mu said more than 1,000 foreigners in the capital have become permanent Chinese residents since 2004.

Beijing has about 118,000 foreign residents.

There were 633,000 foreigners living in China by the end of 2012, up from 525,000 in 2010.

Questions:

1. Why are Chinese permanent residency cards important?

2. What are the home countries of most of the foreigners receiving Chinese green cards?

3. What privileges come with a Chinese Green Card?

Answers:

1. 1,202 permits were granted last year, up more than 83 percent from the previous year.

2. United States, Japan, Canada, Australia and Germany.

3.The permit can provide some privileges and more convenience in the country, such as social insurance and reduced work restrictions.

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Anne Ruisi is an editor at China Daily online with more than 30 years of experience as a newspaper editor and reporter. She has worked at newspapers in the U.S., including The Birmingham News in Alabama and City Newspaper of Rochester, N.Y.