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During the visit in Beijing for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in last November， U.S. President Barack Obama announced a new deal to extend visa duration for Chinese visitors to the U.S. to a decade， insisting that he wants China “to do well” despite simmering tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
“The United States welcomes the rise of a prosperous， peaceful and stable China，” Obama said in a speech at the APEC summit.
“As the world’s two largest economies， the U.S. and China have special responsibilities to embrace.If China and the United States can work together， the world benefits. Enhancing China’s integration to the world economy is in America’s best interest and the world’s best interest，” he said.
“We want China to do well. We compete for business， but we also cooperate on a broad range of shared challenges and shared opportunities，” Obama said in reference to the fight against Ebola， stopping nuclear proliferation， deepening clean energy partnerships and combating climate change.
According to the new bilateral consular deal for both countries’ citizens， the validity of student visas will extend to five years， and business and tourist visas will stretch to a decade， from one year now.
As Obama has mentioned in the speech， nearly 2 million Chinese citizens visited the U.S. in 2013， contributing $21 billions to the country’s economy and supporting more than 100000 jobs for the Americans. A senior U.S. official called the agreement “a really big win” and “a really big deal for the US economy”.
As much as this agreement will effect on the America， it probably will have even bigger influence on China.
A Double-edged Sword
China sends nearly 100 million tourists abroad annually and represents a growing and increasingly coveted source of high-spending visitors in destination countries. According to a survey conducted by the China Tourism Academy， a top tourism think tank based in Beijing， America is one of the most popular destinations for Chinese citizens， especially for those who want to study or get permanent residence in the country. Extended durations will offer Chinese travelers easier access to the United States， but could also result in a surge in wealthy nationals moving away for good.
Wu Na is a 34-year-old living in Beijing. She has been considering “buying” her way into the United States since she gave birth to her first child in the country in 2011. However， her U.S. entry ticket - the EB-5 Visa Program -requires a minimum investment of half a million dollars and the creation of at least 10 full-time jobs. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services， under the program， as long as foreign investors finance certain commercial projects and fulfill a number of requirements， they and their families can obtain permanent residence in the country. Wu Na’s husband owns a factory in Hebei Province. The business generates an annual revenue of millions of yuan， but the family is still hesitant about applying for so-called investment immigration given the risks associated with such projects and the uncertainties inherent in living in a strange country on the other side of the earth.
So when U.S. President Barack Obama announced the deal to extend visas for Chinese visitors to the U.S. to 10 years， Wu Na was flooded with new hopes for her “American dream”.
“The new visa policy means I can go to the U.S. anytime I want within a 10-year period and get to know the country comprehensively before making a decision to move there permanently or not，” she said with a smile.
Under the new bilateral agreement which came into effect in last November， China and the U.S. have extended the duration of multiple-entry， short-term tourist and business visas from one year to ten， and student visas have been extended from one year to five. Before the change， citizens of both counties had to renew their business， tourist， and student visas annually.
Yang Ping， a lawyer with the Global Investment Immigration Lawyers Association， said the new policy is good news for Chinese investors who are considering emigrating because it will help them make a rational choice. However， he also said that the new visa program doesn’t mean the standards of eligibility for a U.S. visa will be loosened， and the duration of each visit will still be determined by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
“As a result， the new visa program is not that helpful to people who intend to stay in the U.S. for a long time. As a reasonably foreseeable consequence， more Chinese will choose investment immigration to America.” Yang said.
The latest statistics show that of the 10692 EB-5 visas issued by the U.S. from October 2013 to September 2014， 9128 went to Chinese nationals.
For Better or for Worse
John Deyong Hu， a lawyer with The Law Office of Hu and Associates， said aside from entrepreneurs， most of his clients who opt for investment immigration are also emigrating because of the cleaner environment， safer food， and free medical services in the developed countries. And these are the factors that will not be influenced by the change in the visa policy. While some travel industry insiders believe the new visa policy will have little impact on investment immigration in China， many agencies believe it will result in a surge in the number of Chinese traveling to America.
Diana Dai， marketing director of vocations division of Ctrip International Travel Service in Shanghai， said the company has noticed a significant rise in inquiries about travel to the U.S.， and there are only a limited number of vacancies left for the Christmas tours it has organized.
Gao Xing， CEO of Qunar， an online travel agency， said that the change to the visa policy will make life much easier for students and business people who want to travel to America.
With the increasing number of flights and the greater convenience in procuring a visa， an more Chinese will visit the U.S. for business， education or vacations， and Gao’s company has already started to focus on developing new tour programs for 2015.
According to a statement released by the White House on November 10 last year， as income level of China continue to rise， the number of Chinese citizens able to afford international travel and tourism will hit 7.3 million by 2021， contributing nearly $85 billion a year to U.S. economy and supporting 440000 jobs. The statement also added that a competitive visa policy is needed to secure the U.S. as the chosen destination for millions of Chinese travelers who consider the ease of obtaining a visa as the second most important factor when deciding where to travel. Cost remains the most important reason.
Jiang Yiyi， director of international tourism development at the China Tourism Academy， says the new arrangement， along with the lowering of other visa restrictions for Chinese tourists elsewhere in the world， is likely to result in a steady 20 percent annual growth in the number of those traveling abroad. She said the biggest hurdle of outbound tourism in China still is the difficulty of getting visas. Those who have easier visa procedures on Chinese tourists will see quick benefits.
However， Jiang also said that despite America’s promise to increase the number of visas it issues to Chinese visitors， the sheer volume of expected applications to travel there could too much to process.
A Boost ot Travel Spending
The extension of tourist visas between the United States and China will provide a huge boost to the travel industries of both countries， says one of China’s leading travel experts.
China’s outbound travel market has accounted for 20 percent of the growth in overseas visits to the United States since 2008. According to the White House， Chinese travelers con-sistently rank the U.S. as their top desired travel destination， but only slightly more than 1.8 percent of total outbound travelers actually go to the country.
In 2013， outbound trips of Chinese citizens hit 97 million， an 18 percent rise year-on-year. In the first 10 months of 2014， the number had already exceeded 100 million. In 2013， about $21.1 billion travel spending was injected into the U.S. economy by 1.8 million Chinese tourists， and the number of visitors is expected to jump 21 percent this year， according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The new visa policy could mean as many as 7.5 million Chinese visitors by 2021， bringing an estimated $85 billion to the economy， a White House statement said.
It is not just tourists that are spending money but also Chinese investors， who are eyeing the massive potential in making investments in popular outbound tourism destinations. In addition to the expected rise in the number of Chinese tourists to the U.S.， the new visa rules will also very much possibly boost the trend of Chinese people buying real estates in the country， according to property industry insiders.
Liu Jun， a real estate agent in Florida who has dealt mainly with Chinese buyers in the past 10 years， said she has recently received a large number of calls and e-mails from Chinese clients asking about property prices.
“The housing market is apparently getting a boost from the new visa rules. New policies make it rather attractive to wealthy Chinese who want to relocate or send their families to the U.S.，” she said. “The overheated housing market in China’s big cities and the heavy pollution are encouraging Chinese people to buy homes in the U.S.too.”
“Besides， Chinese tourists and investors will need services， especially those which make them feel at home， which is creating a big demand for Chinese products and facilities， “She added. “The Chinese tourism industry is certainly going global.”
According to statistics from the National Association of Realtors， the largest trade association in the sector， Chinese people became the largest overseas purchasers in the U.S. property market in terms of value in 2013， replacing Canadians at the top of the list.
From April 2013 to March， Chinese purchasers bought properties in the US worth a combined $22 billion， accounting for about 25 percent of total international sales. “That number is likely to surge in the coming years，” Liu said.
“The United States welcomes the rise of a prosperous， peaceful and stable China，” Obama said in a speech at the APEC summit.
“As the world’s two largest economies， the U.S. and China have special responsibilities to embrace.If China and the United States can work together， the world benefits. Enhancing China’s integration to the world economy is in America’s best interest and the world’s best interest，” he said.
“We want China to do well. We compete for business， but we also cooperate on a broad range of shared challenges and shared opportunities，” Obama said in reference to the fight against Ebola， stopping nuclear proliferation， deepening clean energy partnerships and combating climate change.
According to the new bilateral consular deal for both countries’ citizens， the validity of student visas will extend to five years， and business and tourist visas will stretch to a decade， from one year now.
As Obama has mentioned in the speech， nearly 2 million Chinese citizens visited the U.S. in 2013， contributing $21 billions to the country’s economy and supporting more than 100000 jobs for the Americans. A senior U.S. official called the agreement “a really big win” and “a really big deal for the US economy”.
As much as this agreement will effect on the America， it probably will have even bigger influence on China.
A Double-edged Sword
China sends nearly 100 million tourists abroad annually and represents a growing and increasingly coveted source of high-spending visitors in destination countries. According to a survey conducted by the China Tourism Academy， a top tourism think tank based in Beijing， America is one of the most popular destinations for Chinese citizens， especially for those who want to study or get permanent residence in the country. Extended durations will offer Chinese travelers easier access to the United States， but could also result in a surge in wealthy nationals moving away for good.
Wu Na is a 34-year-old living in Beijing. She has been considering “buying” her way into the United States since she gave birth to her first child in the country in 2011. However， her U.S. entry ticket - the EB-5 Visa Program -requires a minimum investment of half a million dollars and the creation of at least 10 full-time jobs. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services， under the program， as long as foreign investors finance certain commercial projects and fulfill a number of requirements， they and their families can obtain permanent residence in the country. Wu Na’s husband owns a factory in Hebei Province. The business generates an annual revenue of millions of yuan， but the family is still hesitant about applying for so-called investment immigration given the risks associated with such projects and the uncertainties inherent in living in a strange country on the other side of the earth.
So when U.S. President Barack Obama announced the deal to extend visas for Chinese visitors to the U.S. to 10 years， Wu Na was flooded with new hopes for her “American dream”.
“The new visa policy means I can go to the U.S. anytime I want within a 10-year period and get to know the country comprehensively before making a decision to move there permanently or not，” she said with a smile.
Under the new bilateral agreement which came into effect in last November， China and the U.S. have extended the duration of multiple-entry， short-term tourist and business visas from one year to ten， and student visas have been extended from one year to five. Before the change， citizens of both counties had to renew their business， tourist， and student visas annually.
Yang Ping， a lawyer with the Global Investment Immigration Lawyers Association， said the new policy is good news for Chinese investors who are considering emigrating because it will help them make a rational choice. However， he also said that the new visa program doesn’t mean the standards of eligibility for a U.S. visa will be loosened， and the duration of each visit will still be determined by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
“As a result， the new visa program is not that helpful to people who intend to stay in the U.S. for a long time. As a reasonably foreseeable consequence， more Chinese will choose investment immigration to America.” Yang said.
The latest statistics show that of the 10692 EB-5 visas issued by the U.S. from October 2013 to September 2014， 9128 went to Chinese nationals.
For Better or for Worse
John Deyong Hu， a lawyer with The Law Office of Hu and Associates， said aside from entrepreneurs， most of his clients who opt for investment immigration are also emigrating because of the cleaner environment， safer food， and free medical services in the developed countries. And these are the factors that will not be influenced by the change in the visa policy. While some travel industry insiders believe the new visa policy will have little impact on investment immigration in China， many agencies believe it will result in a surge in the number of Chinese traveling to America.
Diana Dai， marketing director of vocations division of Ctrip International Travel Service in Shanghai， said the company has noticed a significant rise in inquiries about travel to the U.S.， and there are only a limited number of vacancies left for the Christmas tours it has organized.
Gao Xing， CEO of Qunar， an online travel agency， said that the change to the visa policy will make life much easier for students and business people who want to travel to America.
With the increasing number of flights and the greater convenience in procuring a visa， an more Chinese will visit the U.S. for business， education or vacations， and Gao’s company has already started to focus on developing new tour programs for 2015.
According to a statement released by the White House on November 10 last year， as income level of China continue to rise， the number of Chinese citizens able to afford international travel and tourism will hit 7.3 million by 2021， contributing nearly $85 billion a year to U.S. economy and supporting 440000 jobs. The statement also added that a competitive visa policy is needed to secure the U.S. as the chosen destination for millions of Chinese travelers who consider the ease of obtaining a visa as the second most important factor when deciding where to travel. Cost remains the most important reason.
Jiang Yiyi， director of international tourism development at the China Tourism Academy， says the new arrangement， along with the lowering of other visa restrictions for Chinese tourists elsewhere in the world， is likely to result in a steady 20 percent annual growth in the number of those traveling abroad. She said the biggest hurdle of outbound tourism in China still is the difficulty of getting visas. Those who have easier visa procedures on Chinese tourists will see quick benefits.
However， Jiang also said that despite America’s promise to increase the number of visas it issues to Chinese visitors， the sheer volume of expected applications to travel there could too much to process.
A Boost ot Travel Spending
The extension of tourist visas between the United States and China will provide a huge boost to the travel industries of both countries， says one of China’s leading travel experts.
China’s outbound travel market has accounted for 20 percent of the growth in overseas visits to the United States since 2008. According to the White House， Chinese travelers con-sistently rank the U.S. as their top desired travel destination， but only slightly more than 1.8 percent of total outbound travelers actually go to the country.
In 2013， outbound trips of Chinese citizens hit 97 million， an 18 percent rise year-on-year. In the first 10 months of 2014， the number had already exceeded 100 million. In 2013， about $21.1 billion travel spending was injected into the U.S. economy by 1.8 million Chinese tourists， and the number of visitors is expected to jump 21 percent this year， according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The new visa policy could mean as many as 7.5 million Chinese visitors by 2021， bringing an estimated $85 billion to the economy， a White House statement said.
It is not just tourists that are spending money but also Chinese investors， who are eyeing the massive potential in making investments in popular outbound tourism destinations. In addition to the expected rise in the number of Chinese tourists to the U.S.， the new visa rules will also very much possibly boost the trend of Chinese people buying real estates in the country， according to property industry insiders.
Liu Jun， a real estate agent in Florida who has dealt mainly with Chinese buyers in the past 10 years， said she has recently received a large number of calls and e-mails from Chinese clients asking about property prices.
“The housing market is apparently getting a boost from the new visa rules. New policies make it rather attractive to wealthy Chinese who want to relocate or send their families to the U.S.，” she said. “The overheated housing market in China’s big cities and the heavy pollution are encouraging Chinese people to buy homes in the U.S.too.”
“Besides， Chinese tourists and investors will need services， especially those which make them feel at home， which is creating a big demand for Chinese products and facilities， “She added. “The Chinese tourism industry is certainly going global.”
According to statistics from the National Association of Realtors， the largest trade association in the sector， Chinese people became the largest overseas purchasers in the U.S. property market in terms of value in 2013， replacing Canadians at the top of the list.
From April 2013 to March， Chinese purchasers bought properties in the US worth a combined $22 billion， accounting for about 25 percent of total international sales. “That number is likely to surge in the coming years，” Liu said.