Pollution, healthcare among top concerns

Visitors walk at the Tian'anmen Square amid severe smog in Beijing on Dec 15, 2015. [Photo/IC]

An online survey by China Daily found that environmental protection is the top concern for participants both at home and abroad.

Some 620 respondents from more than 33 countries and regions responded to the poll ahead of the annual sessions of the country's top legislature and political advisory body, which begin on Thursday.

According to the survey, titled Two Sessions: Issues You Care About Most, 15 percent of respondents voted environmental protection as the top priority followed by healthcare reform (12 percent), education equity (11 percent), anti-corruption (10 percent) and housing security (9 percent).

Many foreign netizens also shared suggestions about issues that concerned them most. One respondent from Australia, going by the name "Ratfink", left messages suggesting the Chinese government should deal with air pollution and advising emergency measures to cut the number of vehicles on the roads to help reduce exhaust emissions that contribute to poor air quality.

As more expatriates come to work and live in China, the Chinese green card issue is also a hot topic for China Daily's international readers. "Mbursian", from the United States, who has been living in Handan, Hebei province, for nearly 10 years, was unhappy that his green card application process took four months and expressed hope that the government would streamline the procedure.

A netizen named "Futsanglung" from the United Kingdom, who now lives in Shanghai, also expressed expectations regarding the Chinese green card system.

"At the moment the rules are still very restrictive and the exact requirements still vague. It is a step in the right direction but still has a long way to go," Futsanglung wrote.