Checks on foreigners stepped up in Beijing

Immigration officers in Beijing have intensified inspections of foreigners as an increasing number have started to use China to enter third countries illegally.

Ji Lixia, assistant head of the Beijing office of China Immigration Inspection, said the number of foreigners being sent back to their home countries has continued to rise in the past three years, but he declined to give an exact figure or the growth rate, citing confidentiality.

Some reports have said that about 200 foreigners were returned to their home countries last year after attempting to enter China without proper documentation.