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Foreigners coming to Beijing will no longer have to lodge at government designated hotels, but be free to stay where they choose, announced a senior official with the Beijing Public Security Bureau recently.

Zhang Jiawang, vice-director of the bureau, said the municipal government will this year abolish the long-standing rule that foreign visitors may only be accommodated at hotels authorized by the capital's authorities.

Zhang, also a deputy to the 12th Beijing Municipal People's Congress, said the move was a major reform to the city's public security system and one designed to better meet the needs of the influx of more and more foreigners into the capital following China's accession to the World Trade Organization.

Statistics indicate that more than 3 million overseas tourists visited Beijing last year. The 500 or so hotels currently allowed to welcome foreigners can barely meet the huge demand, a factor which is causing considerable inconvenience.

"When the former restriction is annulled, foreigners will enjoy parity of treatment to Chinese people in being able to choose any hotel they like to stay in, or even be allowed to stay at a Beijinger's home," said Zhang, speaking on the sidelines of the Congress.

To better serve overseas visitors, Zhang said his bureau and other related authorities were setting up a network system to link all the city's computerized hotel registers.

Once the network is up-and-running, the title of "foreign approved hotel" will fade into history and all hotels will be entitled to accept expatriates, a move which will boost their revenues and provide greater choice for guests.

Under the new regulations if an overseas visitor wants to stay in a local resident's home, the host should firstly inform their local police sub-station, said Zhang.

Many other provinces and cities around China have already lifted restrictions on foreigners accommodation, including Shanghai, and provinces such as Guangdong, Yunnan, Hubei and Jiangxi.

With China's economic development and ever-greater involvement in the international community, foreigners will be able to enjoy more relaxed policies and more equitable treatment, added Zhang.