Foreigners in Shanghai Get First All-in-One Service Center

The opening ceremony, held at the Jing’an International Reception Hall, also marked the annual event for International Experience Ambassadors. The new center is located in the core commercial area of Jing’an and is designed to deliver a streamlined, high-quality service experience for foreign residents and visitors. It brings together four major functional areas: inbound consumption services, daily life convenience, government services, and interactive exchange.

The facility aims to address common pain points faced by foreign nationals living, working, studying, and spending in Shanghai. Visitors can access a range of digital lifestyle services, customized tax refund and payment solutions, and guided support to make better use of international medical services, education resources for children, and other essential living services. Leveraging Jing’an’s strong international profile, the center will also support Chinese companies expanding overseas and promote the cross-border flow of global talent.

According to information released at the event, Shanghai recorded more than 9.36 million inbound tourist visits in 2025, up 39.6 percent year on year and a record high. The new service center is expected to further improve convenience for foreign nationals in their daily life, work, and consumption activities across the city.

Jing’an District, a core area of central Shanghai, is known for its high level of internationalization, concentration of high-end resources, and well-developed service economy, making it a key window for the city’s global engagement. The district is home to 148 regional headquarters of multinational corporations—among the highest totals in Shanghai—along with 115 global service providers and more than 6,200 foreign-invested enterprises. The foreign-funded economy in Jing’an ranks first among all Shanghai districts in terms of contribution.

The Jing’an International Reception Hall itself serves as a major platform aligned with the district’s high-level opening-up goals. It integrates services related to overseas business expansion, international talent support, cross-border data flows, and services for foreign nationals, offering a matrix of 142 core services and 382 extended services. In the four months since its launch, the hall has received more than 90,000 visits and handled 58,000 service cases.

Two additional platforms were launched on the same day: the International Experience Ambassadors Lobby (IEAs Lobby) and the “Ideas for Shanghai” Contact Point for Suggestions from Foreign Nationals. These initiatives position foreign residents not only as service users but also as active participants in urban development.

The IEAs Lobby will provide eight benefits across three categories, including premium space, dedicated thematic areas, and co-creation and sharing opportunities. The “Ideas for Shanghai” contact point expands channels for foreign nationals to contribute to city governance through a regularized feedback platform, encouraging them to share proposals and insights to support Shanghai’s development.

The Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, together with the Municipal People’s Suggestion Collection Office and other departments, will respond to recurring issues raised by International Experience Ambassadors and suggestions gathered through various channels. Policy briefings and consultations will focus on topics such as entry and exit policies, the business environment, tax guidance, legal services, and urban integration, with the goal of refining policies and improving the overall service environment for the international community in Shanghai.
Source: OneTubeDaily