China pressured to explain visa restrictions

Reports from Hong Kong last week about the unannounced restrictions to visa laws restricting foreigners travel to mainland China have proven to be true, despite Beijing’s usual obtuse rebuttals that claimed no such restrictions were in place. Now the international community has sat up and demanded where possible that the Chinese government explain why new conditions such as a return travel ticket, hotel reservation and higher charges have been applied to visas for foreigners.

The restrictions that travel agents in Hong Kong had said they’d been told would be lifted in October stand to affect business travellers the most, as multiple entry visas are said to have been suspended until after the Olympics. Richard Vuylsteke, president of AmCham says, “Businesspeople need stability to operate and the Hong Kong business community has been thrown into great turmoil as a result of the new and largely misunderstood visa policies.

Hong Kong businesses rely upon ease of passage across the world’s busiest border crossing at Lowu and others from Hong Kong into China to earn their livelihoods and to sustain the enormous wealth creation achieved over the past 30 years… These recent changes and… the way in which they have been implemented is a significant step backwards.”