As a timely response to its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO),China unveiled six major measures to make it much easier to enterand leave the country.
Experts believed these measures, which went into effect one afteranother starting late 2001, will help promote internationaleconomic and cultural exchanges and facilitate visits across theborder, thus benefiting China's reform, opening up and economicconstruction.
Jia Chunwang, Minister of Public Security, said the six measuresinclude:
1.Beginning December 1, 2001, business travel permits to Hong Kongand Macao can be prolonged for up to three years. Applications forbusiness travel permits to Hong Kong and Macao with a validity termof less than three months will face no restrictions regardingamounts of tax return and foreign currency earnings. Restrictionsregarding the number of travel permits to Hong Kong and Macao willalso be lifted.
2.Starting January 1, 2002, all visa offices at ports of entry andexit will be able to issue on-the-spot group tour visas.
3.By the end of 2002, Chinese citizens will not have to submitinvitation letters from foreign countries when applying forpassports. Meanwhile, the issuance of passports and exit registrycards will be separated.
4.By the end of 2002, 10 airports, including Hongqiao in Shanghai,Baiyuan in Guangzhou and Guilin in Guangxi, will follow thepractice of Beijing's Capital Airport in opening special entrylanes for Chinese nationals.
5.Before the end of 2003, China will establish a "green card" systembased on international practice.
6.At the end of 2005, residents of large and medium-size Chinesecities should be able to apply for passports using ID cards andhousehold registration cards.
China's "Green Card"
For many years, China has been fairly strict about grantingpermanent residence to foreigners. According to the Law on theAdministration of the Entry and Exit of Foreign Nationals, whichwent into effect in February 1986, foreigners who invest in Chinaor cooperate with Chinese enterprises may get long-term orpermanent residence cards. Over the past 12 years, however, only 67foreigners have obtained such permits.
According to the new measures, China will establish its own "greencard" system by 2003, granting permanent residence permits tosenior managerial and technological personnel from overseas, aswell as foreign investors who have invested substantial amounts inChina. In addition, holders of permanent residence cards will nolonger have to apply for entry visas. Analysts noted that suchmeasures would attract more overseas talent and funds for thecountry, and make foreign investors feel of being at home.
The new measures will also make it much easier for many foreigntourists to obtain entry visas to China. Currently, 21 Chineseports of entry and exit are able to issue on-the-spot visas totourists traveling as part of an organized group. In the PearlRiver Delta and Hainan Province, foreign travel groups do not needvisas at all. In Shanghai, an entry visa is not required for travelgroups. Yet most ports in China still cannot issue travel visas togroups. After introduction of the new measures, foreign travelgroups will be able to get on-the-spot visas at all ports of entryand exit.
PassportNot a Problem Anymore
OnNovember 22, 2001, a primary school teacher in Shunde City,Guangdong Province, surnamed Zhang, came to the local policestation to start the first step of her prolonged passportapplication procedure, as applicants were required to obtainapproval from the local police station where their permanentresidence is registered. At the police station, however, she wastold she didn't need the approval anymore. Beginning that day,residents in Shunde who apply for passports only need to fill out aform and produce their ID cards and household registration cards."I'm surprised it is so convenient," said Zhang.
For years, Chinese people who wanted to go abroad had to go throughan extremely complicated passport application procedure, whichrequires papers concerning a person's household register, reasonsfor travel and approval from their employer.
However, within four years, all Chinese citizens will be able toapply for passports with just their ID cards and householdregistration cards. Zhongshan and Shunde in Guangdong Province arethe first two Chinese cities to pilot the practice. When applyingfor passports, all residents of the two cities, except governmentworkers and those working in the financial business or othersensitive organizations, do not have to produce invitation lettersfrom foreign companies, ID certificates of overseas relatives orfriends, invitation letters, bank deposit proof and approvals fromtheir work unit or local police station. All they need to do is toget an application form from the office of administration of entryand exit in the local public security bureau, fill it out, andsubmit it along with their ID card and household registration cardor other equivalent certification papers. Next year, the trial maybe extended to Shanghai, Zhuhai and other cities.
The Ministry of Public Security also said applicants can getpassports within 15 workdays after submitting their application.Counters at passport-issuance offices will be lowered to 0.75meters, and their glass barriers removed, for better communicationbetween people on both sides of the counter.
A Packed Border
The Ministry of Public Security unveiled these measures to respondto the increasing demand for more efficient entry and exitprocedures after China's accession into WTO.
Over the past 12 years, the number of outbound trips by Chinesecitizens and inbound trips by foreign nationals, has increasedsharply. Statistics show that the public security force has checked1.33 billion travelers and 122 million transportation vehiclesentering and leaving China during the 12 years, with an averageannual growth rate reaching 27.91 percent and 23.49 percentrespectively. In addition, public security departments have issuedexit permits for 24.83 million Chinese citizens who traveledoverseas on private passports, representing an average annualincrease rate of 54 percent. In 2000, the number of applicants forpassports, and that of travelers entering or exiting China, reached5.04 million and 187 million respectively, up 6.6 fold and two-foldover 1989.
Over the past 12 years, China has added 110 entry ports and around100 border checkpoints, raising the total number of bordercheckpoints to 265. It has also added on-the-spot visa issuanceoffices in eight entry ports, pushing the total number of suchoffices up to 21. Also, public security and tourism administrationshave granted approved destination status (ADS) to 20 foreigncountries.
Despite these measures, more drastic reforms on entry and exit areneeded if China wants to tackle a significantly increased number ofcross-border travelers, following the country's entry into theWTO.
According to the Ministry of Public Security, the goals of thereform are to make the administrative system and entry and exitcompatible with the market economic system; to raise the level oflegislation and law-enforcement regarding the administration ofentry and exit; to strengthen control over the border and maintainorders of entry and exit; and to raise the quality and efficiencyof entry-and-exit services through application of moderntechnologies and improvement of staff expertise.
Regarding legislation, the Ministry of Public Security plans tocomplete revision of the Law of Nationality, the Law on theAdministration of Entry and Exit by Chinese Citizens and the Law onthe Administration of Entry and Exit by Foreign Nationals in the 10th Five-year Planperiod (2001-05).
When it comes to new techniques, computer-networking technologieshave been widely applied in entry and exit administration.Currently, more than 90 percent of entry and exit data can beaccessed after two hours in the border inspection informationcenter. In addition, anti-forgery technology used in the productionof passports and visas is also close to, or reaches, internationalstandards. Currently, most of the ports in the country haveinstalled systems that read and identify passports. In the next fewyears, related departments will continue to improve entry-and-exitinformation networks. Recent plans include an update of thedatabase system on the exit of Chinese nationals, and constructionof the second-phase border inspection information system.
The public security department will also step up with efforts tocrack down on crimes, such as illegal immigration by Chinesecitizens, as well as illegal entry, over-staying and employment offoreign nationals in China.
(Beijing Review January 3, 2002)