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By Arif

Chinese lawmakers have urged the nation’s policy makers to draft strict laws and punishment for the illegal foreigners living and working in China. China has been home to more than 600,000 foreigners since 2011. However, only 7,356 foreigners were granted permanent residence permits between 2004 and 2013, according to a 2015 report from The Center for China and Globalization.













“More should be done to tackle the problem of the increasing number of foreigners illegally living and working in China,” says a report presented by lawmakers and political advisors who gathered in Beijing for the ‘two sessions’ to formulate new laws for the 13th five- year plan.





Zhu Lieyu, the National People's Congress (NPC) deputy who presented the bill to tackle the illegal immigration issue during the two sessions, urged China to enact stricter punishment on "sanfei" foreigners: those who commit the "three illegals" of illegally entering, staying, and working here. His bill borrowed some aspects of how Western countries handle the same issue.

"The 'three illegals' should be listed as a crime and should attract stricter punishment. Some of these foreigners have occasionally caused trouble in civil society," says Zhu according to Global Times.





A similar tone was struck by the Central Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party, one of the country's eight non-Communist parties. The political party urged policy makers to enhance supervision over visa agents and improve the repatriation laws for the "three illegals."













According to China’s current Exit and Entry Administration Law, illegal immigrants in China can face an administrative detention of up to 15 days, and a maximum fine of 10,000 yuan ($1,500). While those caught working illegally in China could be fined up to 20,000 yuan.





The fines alone are not sufficient in stopping the "three illegals," says Zhu, a lawyer based in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in southern China.

China’s commercial hub, Guangzhou, has more than 200,000 African immigrants, the largest population in Asia.





“Guangzhou has a large number of foreigners who have illegally entered, stayed, or worked. While those who work illegally can affect the local job market, some are even involved in criminal activities, such as drug-dealing, which could affect social stability,” says Zhu.





Economic experts and immigration professionals suggest setting up a strong legal framework that will allow for immigration processes to tackle the issues of illegal immigration.





"Immigration is a new subject of national governance for China in a globalized context," notes Liu Hongwu, director of the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University.





Liu further says, "We should first establish and improve a management system," which may help China better fit into the world, he added that that the country still lacks special laws and an administrative mechanism for handling immigration issues.













Liu suggests to avoid prejudice and discrimination in the legislation process, China should strike a balance between international practices and their own national conditions as a populous developing country.





"With China having an increasing amount of overseas interests, the country should pay attention to not only the protection of its overseas interests but also other countries', especially developing countries' development interests in China,” suggests Liu.





Liu Guofu, another expert on immigration law at the Beijing Institute of Technology, suggests working visas should be issued to foreign people doing low-end jobs with a limited quota and through certain approval procedures.





Recently Shanghai and Beijing launched pilot projects that relaxed visa and immigration policies aimed at attracting foreign talent that is essential to lead the innovation-driven economy of China.



Source: ECNS.cn

















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