This Day, That Year: Aug 15

Editor's note: This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

On Aug 15, 2004, China introduced permanent resident permits, or the Chinese "green card", for foreigners.

The item from China Daily on Aug 24, 2004, showed an expert from the United States applying for her green card at the Entry-Exit Administration of the Beijing Public Security Bureau.

Official figures show that from 2004 to 2013, 7,356 foreigners were granted the status.

Since September 2015, governments in China have gradually eased the residency and entry policies for foreigners, which has helped attract more talent from overseas to invest or open businesses and boosted international exchanges in China.

The number of Chinese "green card" holders had passed the 10,000 mark by 2016, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

That year 1,576 foreigners gained permanent residence, up 163 percent year-on-year.

The green cards allow foreigners working and living in China to have the same rights as Chinese citizens, except for political rights.

In July 2017, the permanent resident's permit was replaced by the Foreign Permanent Residence Identity Card.

Similar to the second generation of ID cards for Chinese citizens, the machine-readable smart card contains a chip in which the foreigner's identity information is kept, and the information is shared by railways, airlines, hotels and banks.

To provide better immigration administration and services as the number of foreigners working and living in China rises, the State Immigration Administration was officially established in April last year.

The administration is responsible for coordinating and formulating immigration policies and their implementation, border control, administering foreigners' stays, management of refugees and nationality, taking the lead in dealing with foreigners who illegally enter, stay or work in China, and the repatriation of illegal immigrants.

It will also provide exit and entry services for Chinese nationals and be used in international cooperation in the field of immigration.