People talk amid the 121th Canton Fair held in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province in 2017. File photo: IC

About 83,400 foreigners live in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, with South Koreans, Japanese and Americans topping the list, official data showed on Wednesday. 

Among them, 55,000 foreigners, mainly foreign-funded enterprise personnel, overseas students and their family members, have lived in Guangzhou for more than six months, an increase of 6.8 percent. They are mainly from South Korea, Japan, the US and India.

In a bid to better serve the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area strategy, Guangzhou police have been offering convenient services for visiting foreigners, either for business or studies, since the first half of 2019, according to a statement released by the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau. 

The statement came after China's Ministry of Public Security and National Immigration Administration agreed to expand the preferential immigration and entry policies starting August to attract more foreign talent to the country. 

The policy demonstrates China's determination at openness and efforts to help globalize Chinese companies, analysts said. 

Local police said foreigners who intend to work in Guangzhou can easily get a work permit, and those who have a good work record in the city are allowed to apply up to a five-year permit. 

Guangzhou police also offer easy visa applications for foreign nationals who engage in business activities. They can apply for re-entry trade visas of no more than 60 days with a letter, and foreigners who engage in trade as an individual can get a 30-day trade visa.

During trade fairs in Guangzhou, foreigners can also apply for an extension of their trade visa. 

Guangzhou holds the China Import and Export Fair, known as Canton Fair, twice a year, the most prestigious trade fair in China.

Foreign graduate students are open to apply for a visa to start a business with no more than two years or a six-month visa for internship in Guangzhou, the police said.