As the annual sessions of the top legislative body and political advisory body continue, China Daily collected questions on issues that netizens care most about and solicited answers from political advisers, legislators and senior government officials.

The question

Which preferential policies are being approved by the National People's Congress to attract more foreign talent and expertise?

A netizen who goes by the name "Hosam Elmaghrabi"

The answer

According to the draft of 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), China will carry out more active, open and effective policies to attract talented people. China will improve the system through which foreign people can become permanent residents of the country, ease the criteria used for foreign technical talent when applying for permanent residence permits and provide more convenient and efficient services for foreigners working in the country.

More international students will be invited to study in China and talented Chinese workers will be urged to work in international organizations.

For us, the main task this year will be to ensure that the procedure through which visas are issued is not a hurdle that prevents the recruitment of high-end overseas talent.

Many foreign experts have written emails tome complaining about the problems with the visa system. They want to be able to secure five-year or even 10-year multiple-entry permits, something they say will make their stays easier. Most of them are high-end talented people. Some are even Nobel Prizewinners. Currently, they can get only one-year or two-year multiple-entry permits, which are not very convenient for them.

In contrast, many other countries have adopted a flexible visa policy for Chinese citizens. For example, many Chinese businesspeople and even students can apply for 10-year multiple-entry permits for the United States. I think ... we should ensure that top overseas talent who want to come and work in China can enjoy the same convenience.