BEIJING - A total of 852 foreigners have applied for "green cards" in Beijing since 2004, and 721 have been approved for the permits that grant them permanent resident status as of May 26, said authorities with the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Foreigners who obtain the permanent residence permits can freely enter and exit China without any additional visa procedures, said Beijing police.

Beijing police one week ago also said they would continue to provide equal and good-quality services to law-abiding foreigners in Beijing.

With China's development, a growing number of foreigners work and live in Beijing. Beijing police have a responsibility to ensure their legal rights and provide them with a good public security environment, said Fu Zhenghua, head of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

"We should provide equal and excellent service for both Chinese and foreigners on the condition that they abide by Chinese laws and regulations," said Fu.

On May 9, Beijing police launched a multilingual alert system offering services for foreigners who don't speak Chinese or don't know Chinese laws.

Beijing police said they have sent text messages to remind 5,247 foreigners that their visas or residence permits will soon expire.

According to statistics from China's Ministry of Public Security, 4,752 foreigners nationwide had received permanent residence permits by the end of 2011.