Beijing places new clamp on visa controls

Kristine Kwok in Beijing
Updated on Apr 29, 2009

Mainland authorities have once again tightened visa procedures for foreigners in the run-up to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, travel industry sources said yesterday.
The latest curbs have raised concerns that the central government is reintroducing the draconian visa policy enforced before and during the Beijing Olympics last year.

Under the policy introduced two weeks ago, all new business visas issued recently will expire on September 15, three mainland visa agents confirmed.

Applications for the business visas, also called F visas, beyond September 15 would be put on hold, pending further government clarification, the agents said. "We don't know what is going to happen after September 15. More policies will probably be introduced as National Day approaches. We'll have to wait and see," Marcy Shen Lijun, a visa consultant based in Shanghai, said.

Existing F visas that expired after September 15 would not be affected as they were issued before the introduction of the new policy, agents said. Visa procedures for tourists and students had not been affected yet, they said.

However, information remained sketchy. Foreign applicants have had different experiences in obtaining new visas, with some saying that they had already had problems in applying before September 15.

At least one international conference to be held in Beijing next month had been forced to postpone to November as a result, said Shanghai-based American writer Adam Minter, who registered for the event. He said that he had been told by the organisers the conference could not go ahead as many foreign participants were unable to secure visas.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said she was not aware of the new restrictions, but many expatriates on the mainland said they had found it more difficult to secure new visas.

The tightening of the procedures echoes similar arrangements mainland authorities put in place during the Olympics.

A ceremony is to be staged in Beijing on October 1 to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding. All state leaders will be attending the celebration, which will also feature a military parade. Beijing will be taking no chances on anything ruining the celebration. It earlier announced that security measures for the anniversary would be similar to those operating during the Olympics.

Ms Shen and two other Beijing-based visa agents said the new policies were introduced to control the influx of foreigners, and the authorities believed this could improve stability and security.

One visa agent in Beijing said: "It's just like the Olympic Games. The government wants to control the number of [foreign] people in China. The smaller the size, the easier it is to control."


Last year, Beijing imposed a series of entry restrictions in the run-up to the Olympics in August, dealing serious blows to the capital's tourism industry and some in the business sector. Most of the regulations were lifted after the Games, while some have remained in place. The visa agents said it had been much easier to obtain visas after the Games.



The American Chamber of Commerce and European Union Chamber of Commerce said they had yet to receive any complaints about visa problems from their members.

These tightened visa curbs are not needed

Updated on Apr 29, 2009

The 60th anniversary of the nation's founding should be a proud moment for all Chinese to celebrate with the world. National Day on October 1 is an event to showcase the progress the country has achieved during this extraordinary and tumultuous time frame. Yet, it appears the authorities are repeating the same mistake they made last year ahead of the Olympics by imposing travel curbs and refusing many, if not all, business visa applications. No formal reason has been given, but enough anecdotal evidence has emerged that a clampdown is on.
The nation should show off its new openness, not its insularity. Already, at least one major international conference scheduled for later next month in Beijing has been postponed because of visa difficulties for some participants. The central government is, understandably, concerned about security and crowd control with the approach of sensitive dates such as June 4. Such occasions inevitably attract prοtesters and potential troublemakers. But not issuing business visas is the wrong way to go about maintaining public order.

China has emerged as one of the most important economies in the world; foreign businesses need to send their staff on regular visits to the mainland. Unannounced visa restrictions will not only disrupt their plans but hinder economic development at a time when the country is trying to recover from the adverse impact of the global financial crisis.

A well-run and confident country needs to be forthright about its travel rules and visa policy. China cannot change such a policy whenever an important national event comes up. It is counter-productive and reflects badly on the nation and its government.

If mainland authorities are concerned about troublemakers, then bar them from entering the country and tell them exactly why their visa applications are rejected. There is no justification to make life difficult for legitimate travellers and businesspeople who are contributing to the national economy. The mainland should not tighten visa restrictions - it should make foreigners feel welcome.

⋯⋯ you assume they have the ability to tell the difference between the legitimate busiess traveller and one bent on being a terrorist or something.

This does really suck, but sadly the thread title says it all... TIC...sigh.

Officials ordered to buy cigarettes

Daniel Ren
Updated on May 04, 2009

Smoking can fire up the local economy, believes a county government in Hubei province that has issued an edict to civil servants requiring them to consume 23,000 cartons of locally made cigarettes a year.

According to cnhubei.com, a provincial government-backed internet portal, Gongan county has stipulated that cigarettes for official use be put on the government's purchase list, and that those who failed to meet the quota would be fined. The quota translates into 4 million (HK$4.6 million) yuan in government spending per year.

The mandatory purchase of cigarettes is expected to benefit local companies and help the government collect more taxes. According to the website, schools have also been given the cigarette quota.

One village, Zhangtiansi, is required to purchase 400 cartons of cigarettes a year for its officials. If the quota was not met, the county government would fine it 1,000 yuan, the website said.

Beijing has embarked on an aggressive fixed-asset investment plan to combat the economic downturn, but it is rare for smoking to be used as a measure to boost the economy.

In Gongan, authorities are taking the cigarette quota seriously, with the government establishing a taskforce to enforce it.

One school was found to have violated the rule when officials discovered several teachers had smoked imported cigarettes when they collected three non-compliant butts from an ashtray.

According to cnhubei.com, the government would publicly criticise such "undisciplined practices".

An official named Chen Nianzu was quoted as saying the edict was aimed at boosting the local government's coffers as consumption of non-local cigarettes had cost Gongan "a large sum in tax revenue".

Gongan collected 22 million yuan in cigarette consumption taxes last year, according to the local tobacco monopoly bureau. Taxes from the tobacco industry account for 10 per cent of the nation's total income. The edict in Gongan provides a snapshot of the nation's protectionism.

There are more than 100 major tobacco makers on the mainland and local governments hope companies and individuals on their turf will purchase more locally made cigarettes.

Some provinces have also set barriers to discourage sales of non-local cigarettes with non-local tobacco makers required to pay additional taxes. Some local governments even forbid the sale of non-local cigarettes

Officials told to sell a house ... or buy it

By Chen Xingjie | 2009-3-31 | NEWSPAPER EDITION

GOVERNMENT officials in an east China city have been ordered to sell homes in a drive to boost the housing industry.

The government of Hanting District in Shandong Province's Weifang City issued an official government decree on January 14, requiring that its officials sell at least one apartment in the first half of the year to revitalize the real estate market, the Economic Reference News reported yesterday.

If the officials cannot sell the homes by the end of June, they will have to buy one themselves. Or they will be punished by a salary cut and the departments they work with will get a poor evaluation, according to details in a follow-up document issued by the district housing bureau.

If the apartment sold is less than 75 square meters, that is only regarded as half an apartment, the bureau said.

The home sale results are being published every month. In the first two months, officials from 53 departments had sold 306 homes.

But one worried official who declined to be identified said he had not yet found a buyer.

"Since the government arranges housing for most officials, extra homes are not needed," he said.

And he said he could not afford one of the new homes which sell for at least 200,000 yuan (US$29,259.31).

Senior officials with Hanting's housing bureau and the district government refused to comment.

Professor Tan Qiugui of the China University of Political Science and Law said the decree marred the government's image - it should not be sharing interests with property developers.