RESIDENT EVILS

A new Ministry of Justice proposal to simplify China’s permanent residence application for foreigners, which opened for public feedback until March 27, have stoked chauvinistic responses among some Chinese.

Unveiled on February 27, the proposal would allow foreigners who are well educated and high earning, or who contribute to China’s key sectors, as well as family members of Chinese citizens and permanent residents, to apply for the new “Chinese green card.” In certain fields, it also relaxes previous requirements to live in China for an extended period. The policy’s opponents, however, have shared racist and sexist fears of “forced marriage” between Chinese women and foreigners, and rising crime rates due to “low quality” immigrants from African countries.

Less extreme critics still feel that foreigners are getting special privileges, including exemption from family planning and household registration (hukou) laws. “It’s not that we do not welcome foreign talent…but why don’t we first relax birth controls on our own people first?” economist Ren Zeping wrote for Sina Finance.