SAFEA GUIDE FOR FOREIGN EXPERTS WORKING IN CHINA AS CONSULTANTS

FOREWORD

This publication is reproduced with thanks to the Director of the  State Administration of Foreign Experts, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PRC and is an official guide for foreigners working China as consultants, instructors, tutors and for employees of foreign companies with representative offices.

At the beginning of its foundation, the People's Republic of China started to invite foreign experts for service in technology, management, science and research, education, journalism and publication and other fields. Since China carried out economic reform and opening up to the outside world in 1978 more specialists have been invited from abroad. Up to now foreign experts having worked in China have amounted to 740,000 persons/ times. At present the foreign experts work in all China's provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Their service covers the national economy and social development in such fields as industry, agriculture, key projects, education, science and technology, finance, commercial endeavours, public health and sports, press and law.

These experts have made great contributions to the promotion of Chinese economic construction and social development as well as to the friendship and cooperation between the Chinese people and the people of other countries. The State Bureau of Foreign Experts Affairs of China is sincerely grateful to all the experts who have worked in China.

Many who hope to work in China and those establishments that mean to recommend personnel, often ask questions concerning work in China. They want to know which departments or units need foreign experts and what type of specialists, how to enter and leave China, what treatment they will receive and what they need to pay attention to while working and living in China. These friends want the concerned departments to offer them guiding materials. This is the reason we have complied this information.

To make it practicable, we try to give a clear introduction to China and provide the necessary information that the experts will need to know. China is deepening its reform, some adjustments will be made in the regulations concerning experts working in China, we hope that the experts will understand this. Here we acknowledge the support and help of the experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security and the Beijing Administration of Customs.

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I. FOREIGN EXPERTS

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SAFEA

GUIDE FOR FOREIGN EXPERTS WORKING IN CHINA

Zheng Huaisheng Chen Yangjin

EDITOR- IN - CHIEF :

Zhao Lixian

DEPUTY EDITORS:

Shi Zhongcheng, Yue Xiaodong, Zhang Xinmin

MEMBERS OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD

 Zhao Lixian, Shi Zhongcheng, Yue Xiaodong, Zhang Xinmin, Liu Xin, Xiao Suhua, Zhang Min

EDITING STAFFERS:

Huang Lijin, Liu Yongzhi, Su Guangming, Wu Jianxin

1. Foreign Experts

With the development of Chinese economy, society and culture, a great number of foreign specialists are invited to work in China every year. They are not unskilled workers, but because they possess special skills they come to engage in specialized work and help the Chinese to solve problems in their development.

Inviting foreign experts to work in China is an important means employed by the Chinese government to carry out the exchange of international personnel. "Foreign experts" is a term for those foreign specialists who are invited to work in China to meet the needs of the Chinese economic construction and social development. Once approved by the departments concerned, they can be employed to work in China as foreign experts.

The foreign experts differ greatly from other aliens such as diplomats, travelers, students, business or official visitors and the ordinary workers working in China.

The administration of these people in China is also different. The Chinese government, every provincial, autonomous regional, and city governments and employment units provide various convenient working and living conditions for the experts. Those with excellent performance will be given different honors or awards.

1. Who can be considered foreign experts working in China ?

Foreign experts who are invited to work in China can be divided into the following:

1. Foreign educational, scientific, cultural and medical experts.

These refer to those experts who are employed by the Chinese schools and other educational establishments in such fields as publication, medicine, scientific research, culture and art, and sports. They should hold bachelor's degrees and have more than two years of experience.

2. Foreign economic, technical and managerial experts.

These are the foreign professionals who are invited to work on a long-term or short-term basis by the Chinese government agencies, economic and social managerial departments, and by units in the fields of industry, commerce, finance, politics and law. Included are those foreign specialists sent by the foreign corporations to carry out agreements between governments or international organizations and those who come with introduced projects or key construction projects, and those invited directly by the work units to engage in technology and management.

* Holders of at least bachelor's degrees, engineers or holders of degrees or technical titles of the same  level;

* Those who have worked for more than five years and are experienced in their specialized fields, who    are able to conduct technical supervision and are qualified in their own professions;

* Those who possess special techniques and particular skills especially needed by our country;

* Those who have experience of working abroad and engaging in management for more than five years,   managers of departments or holders of the same level positions in large or medium-sized foreign   enterprises or hi-tech enterprises.

3. Representatives of foreign experts' organizations and resident representative offices of personnel intermediary agents ratified by the State Bureau of Foreign Experts Affairs of China and registered by industrial, commercial, administrative offices ( managerial, or civil affairs departments ( non-profit-making)

 2. Administrative offices in charge of foreign experts

The State Bureau of Foreign Experts Affairs of China is the official organ under the central government and is in charge of the foreign experts working in China. Those foreign affairs offices and local bureaus of foreign experts in provinces, areas and cities are local governmental offices or units in charge of foreign experts working in the local places .

II . ENTRY, RESIDENCE, TRAVEL AND EXIT OF FOREIGN EXPERTS ©003 GAC Beijing. Registrar@China-Tesol.org

3. Entry

China issues four types of visas: visa of diplomacy, visa of courtesy, visa of official matters and ordinary visas.

General aliens obtain ordinary visas when they come to China. Ordinary visas are issued to applicants according to their different purposes and each type is marked with a capital letter.

1. Visa D is issued to those who come to China for permanent residence.

2. Visa Z is issued to those who come to work in China and their accompanying family members.

3. Visa X is issued to those who come to China to study or practice as interns for more than six months.

4. Visa F is issued to those who come to China to visit, teach, do business, or for cultural, scientific or technological exchanges for less than six months.

5. Visa L is issued to those who come to China to travel, visit friends and relatives or to deal with some private matters. A group visa can be obtained if more than nine people come together for travel.

6. Visa G is issued to those who need a stopover in China.

7. Visa C is issued to the crews of airplanes, trains and ships who are on regular visits to China. Their accompanying family members are issued with the same type of visa .

8. Visa J -1 is delivered to foreign resident journalists in China, and Visa J - 2 to foreign journalists who come to China to gather news.