In less than two months, the Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection had handled 50 cases of foreigners entering China through illegal channels, with 72 foreigners involved, according to information released from the Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection last week.

The number of cases and people involved hit a historical high point.

In recent years, the fast-growing Chinese economy, the stable political situation and the relatively low living costs have prompted many foreigners living in developing countries to come to China, some even trying to steal into China.

In some African, Southeast Asian, and West Asian countries, counterfeit Chinese passports often appear.

In African countries, illegal immigrants usually try to enter into Chinese border after China has opened new flights with those countries. These cases are usually easy to detect. Compared with them, many other illegal immigrants try to enter into China by land or by sea. Since China has a long coastline and land borderline, such cases of illegal entry are usually hard to find out.

Some foreigners living in neighboring countries regard China as a paradise to live. A report shows that from 1995 to 2005, Chinese police had repatriated 63,000 foreigners who entered, lived or worked in China with no official permits. In 2006 alone, about 16,000 illegal foreign immigrants were repatriated.

(Chinanews.cn November 30, 2007)