Beijing is now home to 65,000 foreigners, says a local official as quoted by China News Service on Tuesday.

Yang Liuyin, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipality, said the capital city has been shaping a positive international environment for cosmopolitan people from around the world, the news service reported.

So far, 147 foreign embassies have been established in Beijing, and another 18 international organizations have branch offices in the Chinese capital, according to Yang.

International news institutions set a record number, with up to 251 foreign news services, 14 from Hong Kong and Macao, representing 396 permanent foreign journalists, and 53 from Hong Kong and Macao, the report said.

Beijing aims to become a cosmopolitan city that provides huge potential for foreigners, with 4,100 foreign experts working here. International students add up to 19,000, which is an increase of 11 percent over last year.

The Chinese capital has been continuing efforts to improve its municipal image. One program has arisen which encourages local citizens to learn foreign languages in order to better serve foreigners. By the end of 2005, Beijing has claimed to have 4.45 million bilingual people, accounting for 29 percent of the city's population. Director Yang added that the government plans for five million residents in the city to speak foreign languages by 2008. 

(CRI January 11, 2006)