China's Green card issuance should be subject to higher standard
Kurt Wüthrich, a Nobel Chemistry laureate, is
among six foreigners to receive permanent residence (PR) identity cards
from the Division of Exit and Entry Administration of Shanghai Public
Security Bureau, April 2, 2018. The six foreigners included top
scientists and leading researchers. (Photo: China News Service/Yin
Liqin)
A deputy to China's top legislature has proposed that China should be strict in granting permanent residency to foreigners, specify their legal duties and avoid super-national treatment after a draft regulation on Chinese green card sparked controversy.
He Xuebin, a National People's Congress (NPC) deputy, raised the proposal at a sideline meeting of the annual NPC session.
He
noted the threshold for issuing green cards is too low without clear
standards or requirements. Processing of applications should be
transparent and under public supervision to avoid black case operation,
He said.
The deputy also said that the draft bill should
elaborate on foreign permanent residents' legal duties to avoid
super-national treatment, such as whether they need to join the car
number plate-lottery, abide by family planning rules and how they will
be handled if they break the law.
The draft should also
consider the potential culture shock brought about by permanent
residents, such as ethnicity and identity recognition, as well as
cultural and religious hybridity, He said.
The draft regulation
was released by the Chinese Ministry of Justice on February 27 to
solicit public opinion. The draft relaxed the requirements to attract
more international professionals, exchanges and investments to increase
the country's global competitiveness. New clauses have been added in the
draft to expand Chinese green card issuance.
Some new clauses in the draft have stirred controversy among the public.
The
draft has removed the "no criminal record" requirement for applicants,
which led many netizens to worry whether the loophole will be exploited
by law-breakers.
"It is necessary to set strict standards, tighten
quotas, and raise the threshold for applicants to make China's green
card valuable," He said, noting the legal work must be prudent and avoid
hastiness.
A Beijing-based law expert, who requested anonymity,
told the Global Times on Monday that He's proposal touched on some pain
points of the public, as there are worries about foreign residents
taking domestic jobs and using welfare resources.
But prudence
does not mean halting the move. "To keep our economy and our country
open and active, it is the right direction to welcome more international
talents and challenges in detailed implementation should not stop the
legal work," the observer said.
China started the green card
system in 2004 and about 20,000 foreign nationals have received
permanent residency in China, according to data from Beijing-based think
tank the Center for China and Globalization.
END
Source: GLOBAL TIMES, by Xu Keyue
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