ERENHOT, Inner Mongolia, Oct. 31 (China Economic Net)- When foreigners living or working in China encounter difficulties with residence procedures, employment policies, or legal matters, they no longer need to shuttle between multiple government departments in Erenhot. A single integrated platform is resolving these issues in this important border city linking China and Mongolia.

Inside the Erenhot Foreign Personnel Service Center, service windows of public security, exit-entry, transportation, customs and other departments are concentrated under one roof. Foreign nationals can consult and handle matters related to residence, employment, education, temporary accommodation registration and vehicle management in one place. For this key land port, the center has become a practical measure to optimize the foreign-related business environment and raise the city’s level of openness.

“We hope that after foreigners enter China, no matter what difficulties they face or what services they need, the first place they think of is here,” said Wang Bi, head of the Foreign Personnel Service Center in Erenhot City officially opened in November 2023, the center currently operates 10 service windows staffed by 25 personnel. Through centralized acceptance and inter-departmental coordination, it aims to provide convenient and efficient services.

She explained that as China’s major land port facing Mongolia, Erenhot sees intensive cross-border personnel flows. Since the beginning of this year, the port has recorded 2.502 million border crossings, of which Mongolian citizens account for about 85 percent. Around 2,000 foreigners currently reside in the city. Expanding exchanges in trade, tourism and education have made the needs of foreign residents increasingly diverse.

She mentioned that residence permits, temporary accommodation registration, employment and education consultations, and foreign-related legal advice have all been incorporated into a unified service system. For matters that require other functional departments, the center coordinates referrals and helps foreigners connect with the relevant authorities. “Our philosophy is to promote management through service,” Wang Bi explained. The center serves as a bridge between foreign nationals and government departments, making services more centralized and convenient.

She further explained that in addition to routine documentation, the center handles related services for inbound foreign vehicles. In 2023, Erenhot became one of the first cities in Inner Mongolia to resume cross-border passage of small passenger vehicles with fewer than eight seats. As cross-border self-driving gradually recovers, the center provides supporting services for inbound vehicles. Local public security authorities have also independently developed a foreign-related vehicle management information system to promote lawful and orderly passage of foreign vehicles.

“Fellow countrymen helping fellow countrymen” Wang told CEN

If the centralized service windows solve procedural issues, a volunteer team composed of foreigners adds a human touch to the city’s foreign-related services. Erenhot has formed a volunteer service team of 30 foreign nationals, including 26 Mongolian citizens, two Russian citizens and two Tajik citizens.

These volunteers have lived in Erenhot for a long time and are familiar with local laws, living conditions and social customs. They use their own languages and personal experiences to help other foreigners better adapt to life in China. “We hope that through foreigners helping foreigners, they can tell newly arrived friends in their own language and based on their own experiences what to pay attention to when living in China and how to solve problems when they arise,” Wang Bi told China Economic Net.

A local family dispute previously demonstrated the team’s practical value. A Chinese-Mongolian cross-national couple had repeatedly called the police due to family conflicts. Despite multiple rounds of mediation by relevant departments, the issue remained unresolved. The Foreign Personnel Service Center later coordinated a Mongolian volunteer to participate in communication. Leveraging the advantage of similar language and cultural background, the volunteer helped both sides resolve the contradiction. The case made staff realize that foreign-related services require not only policy and institutional support but sometimes also cross-cultural communication and understanding.

The center has launched legal service activities for foreign nationals and is compiling a bilingual version of the foreigner service guide to help them better understand Chinese laws, regulations and daily life precautions.

She added that Erenhot’s foreign-related services are not limited to the processing windows. As a border port city, the locality has foreign students at different educational stages from kindergarten to university. Focusing on the study and living needs of these students, the Foreign Personnel Service Center has worked with relevant departments to organize legal knowledge publicity and cultural experience activities.

Wang stated that the center has formed two publicity teams involving police officers and foreign volunteers respectively. On one hand, police officers introduce Chinese laws and regulations to foreign students. On the other hand, foreign volunteers share their experiences of studying and living in China based on their own journeys.

At the end of last year, 19 Tajik students stayed in Erenhot due to holiday arrangements. To enrich their holiday life, the center cooperated with the school to specially organize cultural experience and exchange activities, giving these foreign students the opportunity to further understand traditional Chinese culture and social life.

Exploring new models with free trade zone construction

In April this year, the China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone was approved, bringing new development opportunities for Erenhot to further enhance its level of opening-up. Focusing on the construction of the free trade zone, Erenhot is exploring the integration of matters related to foreign talent, foreign vehicles, foreign insurance and foreign-related legal consultation, promoting the transformation of foreign-related services from single-item processing to integrated services.

At the same time, the Foreign Personnel Service Center plans to advance digital upgrading, explore the construction of a more intelligent service hall, and improve the comprehensive service platform. According to the plan, in the future, when foreigners in Erenhot have needs in employment, medical care, education and other aspects, they can submit applications through a unified service channel, and the platform will then coordinate relevant functional departments to provide assistance, further reducing communication and processing costs.

She has also indicated that the center welcomes Pakistani business personnel and is ready to provide support for them. As China-Pakistan economic cooperation continues to deepen, the city sees practical value in offering convenient services to Pakistani entrepreneurs and professionals who may travel through or base themselves in northern China.

From centralized documentation to volunteer services, from legal publicity to cultural exchanges, and from digital exploration to intelligent foreign-related services, Erenhot is continuously enriching the connotation of open development of a port city.

In this border city connecting China and Mongolia, openness is reflected not only in the busy ports and the flow of goods but also in more convenient service windows and communication that bridges language barriers. With the continuous advancement of free trade zone construction, Erenhot is creating a new window of opening-up with more convenient, efficient and warm foreign-related services, allowing an increasing number of foreign friends to feel the vitality and warmth of a Chinese port city.