Tightening the screws

Guangdong province, a bastion in China for African traders and investors, has tightened the rules on foreigners living there, the official China Daily newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The paper said the province has passed a new regulation that as of May 1, “encourages people to report malpractice involving foreigners, such as illegal entry, overstaying, working without permits or conducting business without a license.”

The piece never mentions Guangdong’s substantial African population, but says the province has 63,000 foreign residents. Some estimates say one-third come from African coountries. Dozens of African nationals have spent time in Guangdong’s jails on accusation of overstaying visas, a situation that has led to increased passport checks and controls. Nearly two years ago, Africans protested outside a local police station in Guangzhou (capital of Guangdong) after a Nigerian man died jumping from a window of the local jail.