BEIJING (AP) - Chinese state media say the country's national legislature has approved a new law targeting foreigners who are living and working in China illegally.
The official Xinhua News Agency said the National People's Congress Standing Committee on Saturday adopted the law that requires foreigners to obtain valid documents - including employment certificates - to work in China.
Xinhua says the new law also will fine employers who hire foreigners illegally.
For more than a decade, foreigners on short-term visas have managed to live and work in China for extended periods of time by dashing to the border and renewing their temporary permits such as tourist visas repeatedly.
Xinhua quotes vice public security minister Yang Huanning as saying the number of foreigners working tripled in the last 11 years.
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