|
Hong Kong: Foreigners travelling to China from Hong Kong are being subjected to new visa restrictions ahead of the Beijing Olympics, which one foreign business group has criticised as inflexible, costly and lacking transparency.
Hong Kong, a gateway to China for foreign businessmen given the convenience of shuttling across the border on swiftly obtained China visas, was hit this week by tightened rules amid increased security just months before the Games begin.
Citizens of 33 countries, including India, Pakistan, Iraq and Nepal, have been barred from applying for China visas in Hong Kong and will now have to apply from their home countries.
The British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, a former British colony which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, said some of its businessmen had already been hit by the new visa rules and were concerned.
"We have certainly got members of this chamber who have been turned down for multiple-entry [visas] and only given double-entry visas," said Christopher Hammerbeck, Executive Director of the chamber.
|
