For some, 'green cards' are a disappointment

Many foreign experts living in China say that obtaining a "green card" has not given them all the rights equal to Chinese residents that they thought they could expect.

"It was so appealing to me to obtain a Chinese green card, but later I felt it didn't help me as much as I had thought it would in my daily life in China," said Noyan Rona, the chief representative of the Shanghai office of Turkish Garanti Bank.

Chen Xinhua, director of the Norsk Statoil Chinese Working Office, said, "Though I got the green card (in 2004), I can't open bank accounts or buy train tickets with it".