China Tries to Entice Foreigners

Wanna live in China? The government is making it easier to get residency

It's interesting the Chinese government is easing its green card requirements so that more foreigners can be eligible to live and work on the mainland. But is anyone biting?

The State Council issued a directive on Thursday, stating that foreigners working in a greater range of areas would be able to apply for permanent residency, but did not specify which ones.

"In the past three decades, China focused on attracting foreign capital, and in the three decades ahead, it should shift to foreign talent," said Wang Huiyao, director of the Centre for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based think tank.

Perhaps air quality isn't really attracting expats to China...

Up until last June, only foreigners who worked in government departments or laboratories involved in "key national projects" could apply for permanent residency. Then the rule was later relaxed to include researchers at more institutes, including those with international funding.

While a 2010 national census says there were about 600,000 foreigners living in the mainland, Wang estimates about 6,000 to 7,000 foreigners have actually acquired permanent residency.

However, as someone who has lived in Beijing for three years, it's hard to understand why foreigners would want to have permanent residency in China, when the government creates such an aggressive stance against them, blaming them for the country's social ills and jealousy of the success of foreign brands.

And then coupled with the horrific air quality in major cities, particularly Beijing and Shanghai, and questionable food safety, why would anyone want to live there long-term?

Just sayin'...