Wang Jiaoyan asks an international businessman about his experience and needs in Yiwu on Aug 17. [Photo/Tide News]

A Jordanian expatriate in Yiwu, a county-level city in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, was recently able to extend his work residence permit with ease after filling out an application via his mobile phone and attending just one in-person consultation on Sept 14.

This streamlined process is a result of Yiwu's efforts to digitalize foreign-related matters.

In May of this year, Yiwu launched the province's first online service platform for international merchants, known as the "Yijing" app. The platform offers all-round services, including online consultations for over 120 matters as well as appointments and online processing for 17 specific tasks.

Leading the development of the app is Wang Jiaoyan, a key member of Yiwu's foreign-related service reform team with 17 years of experience in such reforms.

Ten years ago, as more foreigners began to arrive in Yiwu, local police officers faced challenges in identifying foreign nationals due to various passports and languages. In response, Yiwu introduced a special bank card called the "Shangyou" Card in 2016, providing crucial information including name, passport number, and date of birth on the single card.

"The card is similar to a temporary ID card for expats. We also embedded more than 10 citizen card functions, including public transportation, into the card," said Wang. To date, more than 310,000 cards have been issued.

These reforms have attracted more expats to settle in the city. In the first seven months of this year, the total value of foreign trade imports and exports in Yiwu reached 379.10 billion yuan ($53.41 billion), an increase of 18.1 percent year-on-year.

During the same period, Yiwu processed over 9,000 foreigners' residence permits, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the total for the previous year.