Provisions of the Awarding the Title of the Honorary Citizenship for Foreigners in Suzhou

Article 1 With a view to honoring and encouraging those foreigners in Suzhou who have made remarkable contributions to the economic and social development of this Municipality and to the promotion of exchange and cooperation between this Municipality and the outside world, these provisions are formulated in accordance with the stipulations of the Local people’s congresses at various levels and of the People’s Republic of China organic law for the local people’s governments at various levels, Regulations of Jiangsu Province on the Title of Honorary Citizenship, Provisions of the Standing Committee of the Suzhou Municipal People’s Congress on matters of discussion and decision, as well as the reality of this city.

Article 2 Those provisions are true of those foreign citizens who shall be awarded the title of honorary citizenship in Suzhou administrative area as well as the privileges that they enjoy.

Article 3 The title of Honorary Citizenship shall be conferred by Suzhou Municipal Government while the Foreign Affairs Office under the Municipal Government is responsible for the specific work of that issue.

Article 4 The title of Honorary Citizenship shall be conferred based on the principles of being practical and consistent in standard, emphasis on efficacy, equality of men and women and the respect for individual will.

Article 5 Those foreigners who have been abiding by the Constitution, laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China and been always friendly to China and worked in or conducted exchange with Suzhou city for over five years shall be awarded the title of honorary citizenship if they meet any of following requirements:

(1) Having actively engaged in promoting Suzhou’s friendly external exchange and cooperation and already made great contributions to the establishment of friendly relations between Suzhou city and the governments of foreign countries.

(2) Having made remarkable contributions to urban-rural development planning, reasonable development and utilization of resources, the introduction and promotion of advanced management technique and the environment protection of Suzhou.

(3) Having attracted foreign capital and actively engaged in the expansion of global market and promoting the economic and trade cooperation for Suzhou.

(4) Foreign investors whose investments worth over 100 million dollars or the legal representatives and senior executives of enterprises whose annual taxes have been worth over 100 million RMB.

(5) Having made notable progress in the public undertakings such as education, science, culture, health, sports and the environmental protection and taken the lead in studying certain fields of science and technology.

(6) With good credit records, having made remarkable contributions to the development of social welfare services and the charities of this Municipality.

(7) Having made remarkable contributions in other fields.

For any of those who meet the same requirements, the ones with the title of Friend of Suzhou shall be a priority in the judgement.

Article 6 The selection of Honorary Citizenship in Suzhou will be held once every two years.

Article 7 The title of Honorary Citizenship in Suzhou shall be conferred in accordance with the following procedures:

(1) Recommendation. Those foreigners in Suzhou who are eligible for the title shall be recommended to the Foreign Affairs Office under the Municipal Government by the people’s governments of all county-level cities and districts, the Management Committee of Suzhou Industrial Park and Suzhou High-tech Zone, and relevant departments under the Municipal Government, as well as mass organizations.

(2) The initial examination. After receiving the report for recommending the Honorary Citizen of the Municipal, the Foreign Affairs Office under the Municipal Government shall solicit the opinions of relevant departments of the Municipal Government and verify the real information about the foreigners recommended by the on-the-spot investigation. Besides, it will also solicit public opinions in the local media and report the suggestions on the initial examination to Suzhou Municipal Government for approval.

(3) Conferring the title. For any of those who are to be awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Suzhou Municipality according to the decision made by the Standing Committee of the Municipal People' s Congress, a ceremony shall be held and a Certificate of Honorary Citizen of Suzhou Municipality shall be issued by the Municipal People' s Government. The certificate shall be signed by the mayor.

(4) Filing the list. The Foreign Affairs Office under the Municipal Government shall present the list of those being awarded Honorary Citizenship to the Foreign Affairs Office under the Provincial Government for filing.

Article 8 As the title is a life-long honor, the foreigners receiving the title of Honorary Citizen of Suzhou Municipality shall be accorded courteous reception in line with the regulations on the relevant documents. For example, they enjoy the priority in applying for the invitation to China as well as in getting the Report on the Work of Suzhou Municipal Government, the information about economic and social developments in Suzhou and the bulletin of the municipal government in time. Besides, they can be invited to be part in major meetings for counseling polices or in some great celebrations. And they are also entitled to apply for the Garden Card and the bus card.

Article 9 If those with the honorary title have disobeyed the laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China or have some behaviors that do not match the title, the municipal government will submit the proposal of the cancellation of their honorary title to the Standing Committee of the Municipal People’s Congress for its approval.

Article 10 These provisions shall be effective on January 1st, 2015, which, meanwhile, brings an end to the Suzhou Municipal Government’s Regulations of Conferring the Title of Honorary Citizenship (Suzhou Municipal Government〔2004〕number 66) that have come into effect since May 1st, 2004.

Copy to: all commission offices of municipal party committee, the Standing Committee office of  the Municipal People’s Congress, the office of Municipal Political Consultative Conference, the municipal court, the municipal procuratorate, the military sub-district in Suzhou, the democratic parties, the mass organizations, the city association of industry and commerce and colleges and universities.

The office of Suzhou municipal government printed and issued on December 15th, 2014

*The English version is only for reference. To learn more, please read the authoritative Chinese version.