'Green card' system still young

The Ministry of Public Security reportedly granted 1,576 foreigners permanent residence in 2016, up 163 percent on the previous year.

Such an increase in the approved applications for foreigners to gain permanent residence in China is a result of the country's fast development, increasing attractiveness and more open environment. By owning such "green cards", foreigners working and living in China have the same rights as Chinese citizens, except for political rights.

For many years, gaining a Chinese green card has been difficult, due to the high threshold, lengthy application procedure and limited quotas. But this has gone against the fact that China's development has relied on foreign talent.