Legislators in crime-ridden Guangzhou want to set up an information database to track the activities of foreigners blamed for some of the lawlessness, domestic media said Thursday.

The proposal by 13 legislators was based on data showing a 40 percent increase in illegal activities by foreigners in the southern city in 2001-2005, the China Daily reported.

Foreigners without legal permission to live and do business in Guangdong, and especially those who commit crimes, pose a great threat to the province's security and social stability, Yan Xiangrong, a deputy in the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress, was quoted by the paper as saying.

The scheme would involve all related governmental organizations, including the departments of foreign affairs, public security, health, labor and social security, industry and commerce, and civil affairs, Yan said.

Crimes in Guangzhou are typically blamed on the more than 3 million migrant workers drawn to the booming city. A growing number of foreigners have also set up residence or businesses in the province. There are 40,000 foreigners living in the province, most of them in Guangzhou, the newspaper said.