Official statistics indicate that nearly 100 thousand foreigners live and work in China, particularly in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

A report in the People's Daily says that in the first 11 months of last year, Shanghai granted work permits to 10 thousand foreigners. During the period, the number of foreigners working in Beijing increased by 30 percent from 2003. The majority of them come from Japan and developed European countries, and increasingly from Southeast Asia, Australia and India.

Most foreigners work in senior management positions and high-tech industries.

China is revising laws on foreigners working in China, and intends to provide them with better service and more employment opportunities.