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BEIJING, Aug. 30-- China will step up reform to support innovation by removing barriers to entrepreneurship and innovation. The decision was made at a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday. The meeting decided that the government will roll out a host of reform measures that have been piloted in eight areas, including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Shanghai and the Pearl River Delta, since June 2016. Eligible foreign students with academic background equal to above master's degree could apply for work permit or work-related residence permit. The one-stop application and issuance of work permits for foreign experts will also be made available nationwide. The meeting also decided to pilot a program in the aforementioned eight areas that allows the foreign experts to apply for permanent residence if their income, tax payment and duration of work in China meet a certain standard. Chinese leaders have stressed the importance of the innovation-driven development strategy on multiple occasions. President Xi Jinping said a systematic, comprehensive and coordinated reform should be piloted with innovation-driven development as the target, innovation in science and technology at the core and the removal of systematic and institutional barriers as the main focus of efforts. Premier Li Keqiang called for major progress in systematic and institutional innovation, with focus on breaking the fragmentation in innovation resources allocation. | 
