Foreigners face visa scrutiny

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Popular Beijing spots for foreigners, such as Sanlitun and university areas, will be targeted by police in a new drive against visitors who commit crimes, outstay their visas or gain illegal employment, authorities said on Monday.

The 100-day campaign will start on Tuesday, according to the public security bureau.

Wang Wenjie, a spokesman for the bureau, dismissed any suggestion that the move is linked to the arrest last week of a British tourist suspected of indecently assaulting a Chinese woman.

The man, who has not been identified by Beijing police but was confirmed as a tourist with a valid visa, was detained in Xicheng district, on May 8 about 11 pm after a confrontation with several men that was caught on camera and broadcast on the Web.

The campaign is aimed at tackling the illegal employment of foreigners, overstaying and illegal entry.

These are "major problems," said Lin Song, the police officer in charge of the campaign who works for the bureau's section overseeing exit and entry into the country.

Foreigners must carry passports and accommodation registration documents at all times in line with Chinese regulations. "We will enforce the rule and make sure that every foreigner knows that," Lin said. "We'll check passports and accommodation registrations in areas where foreigners gather in the capital."

Among the locations he mentioned specifically were Sanlitun, an area popular for its shops, bars and restaurants in Chaoyang district, and universities in Haidian district.

Lin also said authorities had asked police across the city to publicize this to foreign residents by publishing notices in communities and engaging in face-to-face conversations.

Police have already posted information about the campaign in Korean in Wangjing, Chaoyang district, where about 40,000 foreigners, mostly Korean, live, Lin said.

They have also asked colleges in Haidian to inform foreign students of the campaign.

News about the campaign received a mixed response among Sina Weibo micro-bloggers on Tuesday. Some Chinese and foreign users hailed it as a positive step, while others raised concerns that it may cause animosity among law-abiding expatriates.

Officials in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, have confirmed that a similar campaign will be rolled out there soon.

Beijing, second only to Shanghai in terms of the number of foreigners with residency permits, was home to almost 120,000 foreigners at the end of 2011.

The capital has reported 13,000 cases of illegal entry, overstaying and illegal employment concerning foreigners from more than one hundred countries since 2008, according to exit-entry statistics.

Yang Lin, an attorney at Ying Ke Law Firm who specializes in cases involving foreigners, suggested police distribute brochures highlighting regulations for foreigners in different languages at the airport.

Questions:

1. What new campaign was started by the public security bureau?

2. What is required of foreigners in Beijing?

3. How many foreigners live in Beijing?

Answers:

1. Tackling the illegal employment of foreigners, overstaying and illegal entry.

2. Foreigners must carry passports and accommodation registration documents at all times in line with Chinese regulations.

3. Almost 120,000 at the end of 2011.

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.