The first batch of bikes provided by the government for public use in Beijing have proved popular with residents and are expected to boost the use of public transport in the city.

The One Thousand Foreign Experts Project, which the government launched late last year, plans to invite 500 to 1,000 high-end non-Chinese foreign professionals from other countries over the next decade to help promote innovation and scientific research. Besides those, each province, municipality and autonomous region has started their own plans to introduce overseas professionals to help with local development.

If you think it is expensive living as an expatriate in a major Chinese city, you’d be right.

Undoubtedly, while rising wages and costs sap growth in the coastal and eastern regions that have led China’s exports and growth during the past three decades, western regions with skilled labor are turning into magnets for global companies that are either transferring bases or adding investment in the region.

All social organizations including those involved with human rights and politics will have equal status for registration and face the same supervisory review process, the minister of civil affairs said.