ABC of the route to laowai identity

Lately, the laowai people in China have been asking themselves - and often aloud: "What category am I?"

The answer will likely be available from November when the government introduces a "points-based" grading system for foreigners working in Chinese companies and institutions.

A journal of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security recently said foreigners coming to work in China will be categorized into A, B and C levels by management, following the "principles of encouraging the top, controlling the middle and limiting the bottom".