China to allow expats longer stay

China will roll out better services to facilitate exit and entry of people starting Feb 1, said the public security ministry on Monday. The new services include extending foreigners' maximum residence period in China to five years.

The ministry said expatriates will be allowed to stay in China for up to five years. The current policies cap the time at three years.

Also, under the new policies, foreigners will be allowed to apply for a Chinese visa with a valid period of five years for multiple entries, up from the current limit of one year.