Relocations

PR of China

Overview
China is obviously has very buoyant economy, and that spills over to recruitment as well. The countries economy has grown rapidly over recent years, and all signs are that this will continue. Foreign companies are commonplace in China, especially in the main business cities of Beijing and Shanghai. There is a growing expatriate community in the major cities in China, and you can still enjoy going to western bars and restaurants for a beer, joining a football club, and participating in most sports. Prices for western goods are affordable, and whilst not on every street corner, you can still purchase them easily enough. There are a growing amount of western brands available in China now, and all the luxury clothing you can buy elsewhere.

Visa
A ‘Z’ visa is issued to foreigners coming to work in China, and must be issued before entry into the country. Employers will manage the application for employees coming to China to work for them, and dependents will also be issued visa. You need to obtain a ‘Certificate of Foreign Expert’ OR an ‘Employment Permit / License’ and an official visa notice, both from the Chinese Government. Once all documentation has been prepared, processing time can be relatively speedy. Information can be found on: http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng

Housing
There are many condominium developments in, and in close proximity to, the business districts in both Beijing and Shanghai, and prices can vary. You can spend as little as US$600, to as much as US$4,000 and above, depending on your needs. You can also rent houses fairly centrally located, but expect to pay up to US$6-7,000 or more.

Cost of living
As with most Asian cities, Beijing and Shanghai can be expensive if you choose them to be, but you can also live relatively inexpensively. Local food is cheap, and you can wine and dine out for a low cost if you want. Transport is inexpensive, and taxi’s readily available. Officially, Shanghai is in the top ten most expensive cities for expatriates in the world, but expat’s I know would disagree. Like most places, once you get used to it, it can be quite a cheap place to live, without compromising on lifestyle.

Schools
You would probably have to go with an International school unless you are Chinese. These are plentiful, and these can sometimes be expensive, but not always. A list of schools can be found on these links:
http://www.shanghaifinder.com/
schools.html
http://www.moveandstay.com/
beijing/guide_international_schools.asp

Sports / Leisure
You can partake in all sorts of sports and leisure activities in Beijing and Shanghai, from golf, to water-sports, to hill-climbing, and all racquet sports, martial arts, and of course expat football and rugby. The availability of good gyms is also growing. Of course the Olympics hit Beijing in 2008, F1 is in Shanghai annually, as well as annual golf, tennis and other sporting events in both cities.

Tax
Tax rates go up with salary, and anyone earning more than RMB100,000 per month will be paying the top rate of 45%. RMB20,000 per month has a 20% tax rate attached, and this goes up in stages until it reached RMB100,000 / 45%. Quite often, international companies can work out tax friendly packages for you.