Two applicants display their new Foreign Permanent Resident ID cards on Friday at the Tianjin Municipal Public Security Bureau's Exit and Entry Administration Bureau. TONG YU/CHINA NEWS SERVICE

BEIJING -- The National Immigration Administration on Friday put into use a new version of the Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card of the People's Republic of China.

On the same day, the first batch of 50 new cards was issued to qualified foreigners whose permanent residence applications had been approved, the NIA said.

These new cardholders come from over 20 countries including the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Russia, and have made outstanding contributions to China's socio-economic development.

Among them are foreign high-level management and technical personnel who have been working in China for a long time, as well as foreign professors and scholars who have been teaching and conducting research at key universities and research institutions for a long time.

While maintaining the basic style of the current version, the new card adds five-starred elements symbolizing the Chinese national flag, and optimizes the layout.

The new card incorporates advanced anti-counterfeiting technology and upgrades the information storage and application management service access.

According to the NIA, the launch of the new card is a specific measure to serve the country's high-standard opening-up and provide better services for foreign talents working and living in China.