Beijing has lowered its barriers against people from elsewhere in China, a move certain to enhance the city on the talent and investment fronts.

Under the new regulations, the first group of 104 Chinese nationals from other regions were yesterday given their "green cards" - the Work and Residence Certificate of Beijing. This will greatly facilitate their career opportunities and lives in the capital.

The move by the Beijing government allows them to register a car, frees them from extra charges when sending their children to a Beijing school, and enables them to participate in some other schemes exclusive to Beijingers.

Xin Tieliang, director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Personnel, on an earlier occasion was quoted as saying that the new certification system will encourage a greater pool of talent to Beijing.

Of the 2.6 million Chinese from outside Beijing who are currently working and living in the city, only 20,000 to 30,000 expect to get the certificate, most of whom are professionals in various fields and meet the stipulated municipal government's standard of "excellent talents."

According to a new rule issued by the city government, the capital started yesterday to treat those who are not resident card-holders equally to Beijingers when it comes to buying local housing.

Previously, as is the case in most other major Chinese cities, all Chinese from outside had to pay a surcharge, in the case of Beijing that was set at 2 yuan per thousand yuan of the total cost, when buying property.

They have also been required to complete a series of application forms so that local government departments can run checks on their identities and financial status.

"I have received calls inquiring about the rules," said Wang Shanshan, a saleswoman with Ocean Paradise, a real estate company in Chaoyang District. But she said it was still too early to assess the impact.

But not all real estate agents in Beijing appeared to have adopted the new policy yesterday, which was announced last Wednesday by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Housing and Land Management.

Sun Xiwen, an expert with the Chinese Academy of Land and Resource Economics, believes the measure will help further boost the local real estate market.

Those from outside the capital have already made their mark on the burgeoning private housing market. They have bought as much as 40 per cent of the available housing stock in areas such as Zhongguancun in Haidian District, he said.

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