Two men put the sign of the special service center on the wall. The center offers permanent residence services to foreigners in Beijing’s Zhongguancun district. [Photo: uschinapress.com]

A special service center has been established in Beijing to offer permanent residence services to foreigners in the Zhongguancun district.

The center will offer visas, residential permits and permanent residence services to foreigners who start businesses or are employed in the Zhongguancun National Demonstration Zone.

It's part of a new set of 20 different programs authorities in Beijing have launched to try to draw more foreign talent to the city, particularly in the high-tech sector.

Wang Xi is the Deputy Head of the Beijing Public Security Bureau's Exit-Entry Department.

"Indeed, ten out of the 20 items are aimed at the Zhongguancun district. These ten items within the policy will be initially carried out in that area. We will continue to summarize progress. During our constant exploration of the process, we will continue to improve it in order to lay a great foundation for generalizing the policy across the whole city and even the country."

Under the new rules, expats working in the high-tech sector can apply for permanent residency after working in Beijing for 4-years.

Authorities have been taking steps to try to make it easier for expats in China to obtain 'green cards.'

Existing stipulations make it extremely difficult for most foreigners in China to gain permanent residency.