Foreign students in China who meet certain qualifications can get work permits without any working experience overseas, a move to help the country tap into more international talents. The Ministry of Human Resources and Society Security, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly announced that authorities would allow some foreign students without working experience to find jobs in China. “It’s a significant progress in attracting international talents to China, as there is still a huge gap in the number of Chinese students studying overseas and foreign students in China,” Miao Lü, Executive Secretary General of the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization (CCG), told the Global Times. She noted that the gap is mainly due to a lack of courses taught in English and limitation on employment for foreign students. In 2015, there were 1.26 million Chinese students studying aboard, accounting for 25% of the total international students, but the total number of foreign students in China was about 398,000, according to the CCG’s website. The new policy is good news for foreign students, as it will be easier for them to look for jobs.

Hong Kong slipped out of a list of the 10 most expensive cities in the world for expats, but it is still a costly place to live compared to five years ago, according to the latest survey by international human resources consultancy ECA International. The study ranked Hong Kong as the 11th most expensive location for expats, down two spots from last year. In the Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong placed fifth, also two places lower than in 2015. The drop in ranking was attributed to the strength of the Japanese yen. Nevertheless, Hong Kong is still expensive. A pint of beer costs USD12.29 in Hong Kong but USD8.71 in London, while a medium cappuccino costs on average USD5.03 in Hong Kong but USD3.36 in Sydney. “Over the past five years, Hong Kong has generally risen in the ECA global rankings, from 60th in 2011, up 49 places to 11th in 2016,” Lee Quane, Asia Regional Director for ECA International, said. Japan is the most expensive country for overseas employees. Four Japanese cities made the top 10, with Tokyo taking the number one spot, up from 12th place in 2015. Among mainland Chinese cities, Shanghai took the highest spot at 13th globally, and seventh in the Asia-Pacific region. Singapore placed 16th globally, making it more attractive than Hong Kong for companies hiring expatriates.

Three Australian employees of the casino firm Crown Resorts, who were detained last month on suspicion of violating strict Chinese gambling regulations, will be prosecuted. Casino gambling is illegal in China and agents are banned from organizing groups of more than 10 mainland citizens to gamble abroad. Under Chinese law, anyone who “runs a gambling house or makes gambling his or her profession” can face up to three years in prison. The three Australians include the head of Crown’s VIP International team, Jason O’Connor, who was visiting China from company headquarters in Melbourne. Fifteen Chinese employees of Crown were also detained, but the status of their cases is not known.

Joaquim Nassar, Dean of SJTU-ParisTech Institute of Technology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has become the first foreigner to receive the new unified work permit. When he started working at the university a year ago he applied for a foreign expert certificate, which also functioned as a work permit under the previous rules. Expatriates who were not experts needed to apply for a regular work permit. Under a pilot scheme in Shanghai and some other provinces and cities, the two permits have been merged into one. The whole application process took just three days, as Nassar was identified as a top talent. For now, the permit is issued in paper form as the program is still on trial from this month to March. From next April, the new permit will be issued as a card with a radio frequency identification chip, making it easier to carry, and to prevent it being counterfeited. The number of resident foreign experts in Shanghai bloomed to 93,000 at the end of last year, up from 88,000 in 2013. Last year, the city approved about 150,000 employment permits and expert certificates, involving nearly 40,000 employers. Under the new system, each expat will receive a unique identification number for life.

The western United States remains the most popular area for China’s super-rich to settle down abroad, with Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle the top three locations. Seattle’s popularity has risen for two years and exceeded New York to become one of the top cities where wealthy Chinese would like to invest in properties and emigrate to, according to a new report co-released by the Hurun Research Institute and immigration agency Visas Consulting Group. On average, overseas investments accounted for 15% of respondents’ total wealth, and spreading financial risks has become their chief concern. More than 60% of China’s richest people plan to invest in properties abroad in the next three years.