Originally Posted by
boat stuck
The one caveat is that if you live in China long-term, you'll have to leave China every 2 years to renew the Chinese Travel Document, which can only be issued by a Chinese consulate overseas. Not sure if Hong Kong works for that purpose. Still, way easier than any other option.
You do not have to leave China every 2 years. You can continue to live in China even after the CTD expires (just as any Chinese national can continue to live in China when their passport expires). In order to leave China with an expired CTD, you apply for an Entry-Exit Permit valid for 3 months in lieu of the CTD. The Entry-Exit Permit will be treated as a CTD when you use it to apply for a new CTD abroad. Of course if you only ever travel abroad for trips less than 3 months, then you don't even have to renew the CTD.