Now earlier this month we reported here on BON News on the increasing number of US graduates and other young foreigners coming to China to work. And as the economy continues to grow - and appears to have avoided any serious fallout from the global financial crisis – it's clear that China has, for many, become a land of opportunity. But what's not always so clear is where exactly these foreign workers fit into some of the country's regulatory policies and institutions.

The titles of "national model worker" and "national model collective" may have a quaint pre-cold war communist ring to them – but recently they caused some controversy when the government released its Draft Regulations on Commendations and Awards. This is the first time that clear nationwide rules on such honors have been drawn up.

And one provision has caused particularly heated debate: this is that foreigners working in China should also be entitled to such awards if they fulfill the criteria. So CCTV.COM carried out a poll which asked respondents: "Do you think foreigners should be eligible for "national model worker" titles?" 

China was once a huge source of economic migrants to other countries. Now there's a reversal - a growing number of foreigners are moving to China to work, attracted by the economic opportunities available. The numbers are now so significant the authorities are drafting the country's first-ever immigration laws to control the number of people coming here from overseas.

The new law is expected to pide potential immigrants into different categories such as skilled and unskilled labor.

In 2007, almost 2.9 million foreigners were registered with the Ministry of Public Security as working legally in China.

That number is rising rapidly. Last year, there were 152,000 foreign resident workers in Shanghai alone, a 14 per cent increase on 2008.

A Tianjin couple's decision to withdraw medical treatment for their newborn baby, who suffers life-threatening birth defects, has triggered outcry here in China. The story first came to light at the end of January, after the family of the infant transferred her to a hospice in the city.

The baby, who suffers from a number of serious medical conditions including an imperforate anus, blocked urinary tract, and heart disease, was initially treated in hospital.

However the family decided to stop treatment after 13 days saying that, as the baby's condition was hopeless and the treatment extremely painful, they wanted to let her die with dignity.

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