“Government statistics suggest that there are more than 600,000 foreigners currently residing in major Chinese cities” according to the cover story of China Business International (November 2003).
Other stats in the article:
Number of Japanese working in Shanghai: between 30,000 and 40,000
Number of foreigners who applied for work permits in Shanghai in 2002: 8,600
Number of foreigners whose Shanghai work permits were not renewed in 2002: 4,000
Average salary of junior Japanese executives working in China: RMB10,000 to 20,000 (USD1,234 – 2,468)