Police conducted checkups on 500 foreigners' documents in Haidian district of Beijing Thursday evening, including their visas, passports and temporary accommodation registration.

The Haidian district Exit-Entry Administration Division also handed out bilingual brochures Thursday, explaining to foreigners the procedures and documentation required for visa applications and temporary accommodation registration.

The information and checkup came as part of an educational campaign among foreigners answering their questions and addressing their problems living in China, the district police explained. Police in Wudaokou Thursday also taught foreigners traffic safety and anti-theft measures for motorcycles.

About 100 people participated in the activity, including more than 20 foreign residents and overseas students from nearby universities.

Brochures about theft prevention of motorcycles, their safe riding and legal purchase were handed out at the Huaqing Jiayuan community in Wudaokou, a residential compound with more than 2,000 foreign residents.

"Thefts take off in spring every year, and more cases have been reported to our office recently of foreigners' vehicles being stolen," said Feng Yong, an officer with the Haidian district's Exit-Entry Administration Division.

"I even caught a foreign thief myself near the compound a couple of days ago, and called the police," Fang said a Jordan resident told him at the activity Thursday.

"Many foreigners aren't familiar with the legal procedures for purchasing motor vehicles in China and cases have been reported of foreigners speeding or driving without a license," Liu Yu, a deputy section chief with the division told the Global Times.

Officers gave free high-quality locks to residents and demonstrated how best to lock up motorcycles.

"Motorcycle or mopeds being stolen on campus is quite common," said Ruan Gaoning, a Vietnamese student at Beijing University of Science and Technology who participated in the activity.

"I lost two motorcycles and five moped batteries last year. I never called the police before."

The office holds at least two activities a year for foreigners, Liu Yu said.

"We conduct regular educational campaigns with different themes each year, including telecommunications fraud prevention and travel safety, through which we made a lot of foreign friends," Feng said.

The mutual visa-free agreement for Chinese and Singaporean diplomatic, official and official ordinary passport holders will come into effect starting April 17, according to the website of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to sources, the "Mutual Visa-Free Agreement of the PRC Government and the Government of the Republic of Singapore on Diplomatic, Official and Official Ordinary Passport Holders" was signed in Singapore on Feb. 18, 2011. The two sides have completed their legal procedures and confirmed that the agreement will come into effect starting April 17, 2011.

The agreement said that Chinese citizens holding valid diplomatic, official and official ordinary passports and Singaporean citizens holding valid diplomatic and official passports are able to enjoy 30-day transit visa-free service for entering the other contracting country.

Chinese and Singaporean citizens who want to enter the other contracting country and stay for more than 30 days or for the purpose of working, studying or any profitable activity should apply for visas and passports in accordance with relevant provisions of competent authority before arriving at the territory of the other contracting country.