CCTV news: The "14th Five-Year Plan" is coming to an end. How have foreigners' lives in China changed in the past five years?

Lao Wang met Jamie, the Canadian "foreign son-in-law". People online prefer to call him "the big fat wife." Jamie started to settle in Beijing in 2023. In just over two years, what struck him most deeply were the changes brought about by various visa-free policies.

Jamie Mulholland, a foreign teacher at the School of Foreign Languages at Renmin University of China, said that first of all, China has launched a transit visa-free policy, which is really great, and his parents also came to see him. They were nervous at first, but the last time his parents came, his father learned to use WeChat, Alipay and Didi Taxi. While he was working, his parents went out by themselves and successfully went to a restaurant to order food for themselves. This was a huge change.

Jamie said that not only is it becoming easier for friends and family to visit him, but it is also becoming more and more convenient for him to live in China. Of course, what excites him the most is that the rapid development of China's Internet has given him the soil to start a business, and it has also strengthened his determination to live in China for a long time.

Jamie Mulholland said that he wants to apply for a "five-star card", which will allow him to settle down as a permanent resident in China. He signed a longer contract with Renmin University of China in 2025, for which he is very grateful. China is his home.

Aside from life, how is your experience working in China? Lao Wang also met another "China expert" - an Iraqi young man Fang Haoming. A video of him crying at the military parade made him famous online. When I saw him this time, he did not cry. He was taking 10 Arab friends to visit China's smart car factory.

China Arab Satellite TV reporter Fang Haoming said that he invited many Internet celebrities (bloggers) in the Middle East, hoping to introduce China from their perspective. Every time they see something, they will be shocked and say, "I thought China was not like this before." Experiencing it in person is completely different from watching it online.

After three years of working as a reporter, he has achieved "cheating" growth - winning praise from Foreign Minister Wang Yi, reporting on the Forum on China-Africa, and interviewing Olympic champions. His videos have received over 100 million views. In the past five years, China’s international influence has increased, giving Fang Haoming, who “spreads Chinese stories,” a “traffic password.”

Fang Haoming said that it is true that in the past five years, more and more foreigners are willing to come to China. After many foreigners come to China, he chooses to go back and tell more people and bring more friends to start a business and develop in China, because there are really more and more policies and job opportunities for foreigners.

In the five years of the "14th Five-Year Plan", from business investment to living in China. China continues to intensify its efforts to open up: the negative list for foreign investment access is getting shorter and shorter, access restrictions in the manufacturing sector have been completely cleared, and pilot opening up of the service industry has been steadily advanced, with 155 tasks covering common fields such as telecommunications, medical care, and finance. The National Immigration Administration has launched more than 50 new measures to make it easier for foreigners to come, stay and integrate well. These openings never stay in documents, but continue in countless stories of "Jamie" and "Fang Haoming".