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2008-04-26 | All chapters

Concern Rises Over China Visas
Jonathan Cheng, Loretta Chao, Wall Street Journal, 26th April 2008, Page A10

Pressure is mounting on Chinese officials to ease visa restrictions introduced ahead of the Olympic Games, as the new rules fuel frustration among foreign businesspeople who travel frequently to China.

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China Friday added its voice to the chorus of complaints against the restrictions, citing members' reports of refused applications for multiple-entry business visas and rush services, and for shortened validity periods on approved visas. Some members were being told to return to their home countries in order to apply for business visa renewals.

"This benefits no one," said Joerg Wuttke, president of the European chamber in China. "These new practices make the possibility of traveling to China for business uncertain and increase travel costs by limiting the number of entries per visa."

On April 18, the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong sent a sharply worded letter to Beijing's representative in Hong Kong about what it called "clearly a significant change in business and tourism visa policies." The letter, written by AmCham President Richard Vuylsteke and addressed to Foreign Ministry commissioner Lu Xinhua, included a summary of replies from a snap survey the chamber conducted among its members, detailing the headaches business travelers are facing.

"These recent changes and, even more so, the way in which they have been implemented is a significant step backwards," Mr. Vuylsteke wrote in the letter.

Dale Kreisher, a spokesman for the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong, said the U.S. government had expressed its concerns to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong. "We've heard from American businessmen and the chambers that they're getting fewer entries and shorter validity periods," he said.

Chinese officials have been reluctant to acknowledge any difficulty brought about by changes to its visa policy. China's arrangements for visas have been made "according to the practice of other host countries for the Olympics and large-scale sports events and legal regulations in China," China's Foreign Ministry in Beijing said in a statement, adding that applicants may be required to submit documents such as an invitation letter, hotel reservations and return tickets. "Compared to visas of most countries in this world, it is convenient for most foreigners to get visas," the statement said.

The Web site for China's embassy in Singapore, for instance, says that only single- or double-entry business visas, valid for one month, are available. The Singapore embassy in Beijing warns its citizens that multiple-entry visas would be approved on a "case-by-case basis with strong justifications." Many visa applications now require a return air ticket and hotel booking, according to the Singapore Web site and anecdotal evidence from business travelers from other countries. The site also notes that a visa-waiver program for Singaporean passport holders traveling to China for 15 days or less will be temporarily suspended, effective July 1. It would resume "at an appropriate date after the Beijing Olympics," the notice read.

The restrictions don't seem to apply to people with existing visas. However, the new measures are making life more difficult for businesses across the region, particularly for those in Hong Kong that rely on frequent trips to southern China.

Mahesh, a Hong Kong-based Indian national who asked that his full name not be used, says he traveled at least twice a week to southern China to visit factories and negotiate deals with customers. That was until about two weeks ago, when his three-year multiple-entry visa expired.

Now, Mahesh can get only a double-entry visa valid for three months. "I've already used one entry, and I'm going up again tomorrow, so after that I'll have to stand in the queue and apply again," he said. "It's more time and more money." Because of huge lines, applying for a China visa in Hong Kong can sometimes take a full workday.

The policy tightening comes after an enforcement crackdown last year aimed at foreigners who applied through visa agents, or companies that handle the processing of visa applications, and at those living in China under improper accreditation.

In Beijing, where tensions have been running high since protests against Western media and French retail chain Carrefour broke out this month, foreign residents have reported a fresh round of documentation checks by Beijing police.

Source: http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB120917750942747113.html

This news in Chinese：中国签证新规引发不满