The Chinese Government on May 3 released draft regulations relating to foreigners' entry and residence in China and what is regarded as illegal entry, stay or work in the country.

According to the regulations, foreigners must obtain work permits and residence certificates for employment before being employed. Employment beyond the scope or time limit of a student's work-study program shall be considered illegal.

It shall also be considered illegal if foreigners remain in the country beyond their visa-free stay period or leave areas they have been allowed to stay in.

Since January 1, travelers from 45 countries have been benefiting from 72-hour visa-free stays in Beijing and Shanghai, a move that is expected to boost consumption. Foreign visitors are not permitted to leave the cities to travel to other Chinese cities during the 72 hours, and have to depart from the two cities.

Foreigners who violate China's laws and regulations and are deemed "unsuitable" to stay will be given an exit deadline of no more than 30 days, according to the draft. Foreigners who use forged or altered official certificates to enter or exit the country will be given a warning and could be fined up to 2,000 yuan ($325), the regulations say.

The 61-article draft was released by the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council, China's cabinet at www.chinalaw.gov.cn to solicit public opinions until June 3.

Cultural Site Protection

China is making more efforts to preserve its cultural relics, formally prioritizing the protection of more historic sites.

In early May, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage added 1,943 sites of unmovable cultural relics to the list of key areas that need protection, taking the total number of sites on this list to 4,295.

Reviewed by more than 130 experts, the newly added sites, located in Shanxi, Henan, Hunan, Hebei and Jiangsu provinces, contain 795 pieces of ancient architecture and 516 ancient ruins as well as stone inscriptions and outstanding modern architecture. Many of the new sites also include valuable cultural relics from ethnic minority regions such as north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

According to statistics from the latest national archaeological survey conducted from 2007 to 2011, China has more than 760,000 registered unmovable cultural relics and 2,384 state-owned museums hold 28.6 million collected relics.

The survey also showed that in the past 30 years, more than 40,000 unmovable Chinese relics have vanished, with half of them destroyed by construction work.

Nurse Population

China's number of certified nurses reached 2.49 million at the end of 2012 amid the country's continuous efforts to build up its nursing population, a senior medical official said on May 8.

That meant an increase of 1.15 million from 2005, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

China aims to bring its nursing population to 2.86 million by 2015, meaning there will be 2.07 nurses for every 1,000 people, according to a blueprint on nursing issued in January 2012.

However, even if that target is met, the ratio of certified nurses per 1,000 people in China would still be much lower than the United States and countries in the European Union.