'Biz opportunities are being missed'

Many foreign business people are up in arms over a tightening of visa procedures for getting into China. The tightening occurred last week. There's been no real explanation from the Foreign Ministry but it seems obvious that the clampdown is to keep troublemakers out of China before and during the Olympic Games.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong has a lot of information here about its concern.

Now the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China is weighing in on the matter. Here's part of a press release that just arrived:

Beijing, 25th April 2008. The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China is concerned about recent and unexpected difficulties encountered in obtaining and renewing business travel visas (“F visas”) to China. In the last few days, the European Chamber has received complaints from many of its members regarding these matters and has expressed its concerns to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

European companies in mainland China, Hong Kong and abroad have in recent days encountered such difficulties as:

-- refusal of multiple-entry F visas,
-- suspension of express visa services for F visa applications, and
-- shortening of the length of issued single- and double-entry F visas.

The European Chamber is also particularly concerned about cases where Asia-based Europeans seeking to renew their China business visas, have been required to return to their home countries to apply.

For many years, EU-China business co-operation has benefited from generally convenient and efficient China visa services. According to the feedback from the member companies of the European Chamber, these recent developments impede business between the EU and China. European Chamber President Joerg Wuttke said: “Suspending the issue of express visas means that business opportunities are being missed. Beyond slowing down the process of travelling to China, these new practices make the possibility of travelling to China for business uncertain and increase travel costs by limiting the number of entries per visa”. He also commented that, “The requirement that F visa applicants return to their home country to renew their visas imposes substantial extra costs in terms of both time and money on EU-China business cooperation. This benefits no one.”

Comments

[A B]

The abuse of China's visa system by foreigners had to stop.

Admittedly there should be a better way for bona fide business people to get in and out of China easily.

The problem is the rest of the foreign rabble in their wake.

As I noted earlier, as much as 50% of the 'journalist' working in China do not have the proper visas, or file tax returns and pay taxes due, or otherwise comply with the law.

What would you do, Tim?

[Ted]

Tim would probably sleep soundly through the night with clear conscience because he has compassion for others and has nothing to hide.

You should start packing for our international fact finding trip to Tibet.

If Tibet was always part of China and Tibetan's are equal citizens along with the rest of chinese peoples, then why was it that foreigners needed special visa permits to travel to Tibet?

But cheer up President Hu just kissed French Senate President on both cheeks today in Beijing.

Carrefour is now most favored Chinese peoples grocerie store.

I realize the law thing is a new one for you, but why would foreign journalists in china temporarily pay china income taxes?

I'm pretty sure those CCTV people who come to DC occasionally don't pay US income taxes.

Heck who does Yao Ming pay taxes to for all those tv commercials and that big team sports franchise money?

But to be fair I could see why they would not want to be flooded with a lot of last minute recipients of press IDs.

Sounds like a reflexive response from the central planning nervous system.

i wish you pleasant dreams

[A B]

Tim,

You can tell us about how you are required to file tax returns, register with the Police, and have your Bureau chop made for you, and all the other minutiae involved in complying with the law.

Mind you, the hospitality by MOFA is excellent....

[Sear4T]

@A B & TED
Tim J actually lives and works in China for many year so his expat package most likely include tax equalization so he pays US federal and maybe state tax instead of PRC tax.

But that's not the point. The problem is that he's trying to make news out of nothing more than natural reaction of a government facing security threats. There is word for that in Chinese which Tim J should be all too familiar by now - Chao Zuo.

Case in point.
"Travel industry: post-9/11 policies cost U.S. tourists" http://thehill.com/business--lobby/travel-industry-post-9/11-policies-cost-u.s.-tourists-2007-03-19.html

What's puzzling for me is that among the overwhelming negative coverages of China by the western media, the ones that with the most vocal and harsh rhetoric usually come from those so-called vetern China coorespondents like Tim J. By living in China, the views expressed in their reporting should serve as a bridge that connects people and a counter weight that balances the perception the people in their home countries hold toward China. Instead, their coverages of China, especially during the past weeks, have been saturated with nothing but negativities and dismissive treatments of Chinese points of views. It makes you wonder whether all of these nagativities are the results of bitterness towards the government's broken promise of free press or the fear of being accused of apologizing for China by their home reader and lose their assignments in China along with those posh expat pay packages. How do you like to get reassigned to the Green Zones in Bagdad? Whatever the reason. It just madness. Let's face it. If people want to be reinforced about their negative views about China, they don't really need to hear that from reporters living there.

[A B]

Just a reminder to Tim that you have a bit of a fact problem with the mob attack article yesterday.

[A B]

Sear4T,

I would disagree with you about "overwhelmingly negative" coverage of China.

Most of the "news" in the Western tradition is that.

"Good" news don't sell newspapers and are, more often than not, "pushed" out by PR departments of different interest groups.

What I do care about is not good or bad news, but FACTUALLY ACCURATE news, regardless of whether the spin put on it is good or bad.

I would, of course, prefer less articles about six headed monsters born in China, or Hindu priests doing stunts on beds of nails, or Buddhist monks being barbecued, or the latest diktats on what the Taliban regard as modest clothing, etc.

Try to get a "good" story out of Afghanistan or Iraq that is not propaganda is hard.

No different from China.

The real unfortunate part about this is China blocks its netcitizens from easily participating in the global conversation.

That would do more to get "good" news out than any grips about journalists.

P.S. I am still waiting for Tim to investigate and correct the false report he filed about an American being attacked by a mob....

Shanghailist promptly printed a retract with a first person account of the incident from the alleged victim.

McClatchy is slow.....

[A B]

Thank you Tim, for correcting the "attacked by a mob" story.

Now, tell us what happened... how did that false account slip by... and what have you learned from the incident.

[A B]

Oh for those gadget freaks in the Foreign Correspondent Community....

Journalist of the world, Unite!

You have nothing to lose but your Blackberries!

See:

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/04/24/mexican-press-member-caught-stealing-blackberrys-belonging-to-white-house-staffers/

Mexican Official Stealing White House Staff Blackberries.

The difference between a third rate power like Meixco and the United States is the US Security agencies can hack into your Blackberry, or iPhone, or Cell Phone, laptop, etc. copy everything and leave no trace that they been there.

Dealing with the Americans, you don't even have the satisfaction of knowing that you have been mugged.

[Chinese to the world]

hi guys given Tim a break. he also needs to make a living and also a good cushy living. there was a report that talked about after Iraqi invasion, CNN at first tried to be more balanced and had reports on the refugees and civilian casulaties etc., but then very soon they faced the very negatove reaction of their viewers in US and their rating plummeted. so the boss order all the reporters to stop focusing on the negatives, but instead on how happy the Iraqis were to be liberated

so unfortunately China will continue to be bashed and western journalists in China will continue to live a cushy life by perpetuating that negative view of China

maybe there's no hope, and the clash of civiliazation is inevitable.

sad thing is people in the media are fooling themselves and pretend to be factual and unbiased

give me a break

[Sue]

All road in China also discussed this visa issue from a different angle.

http://www.allroadsleadtochina.com/index.php/2008/04/23/iht-coverage-of-chinas-visa-and-lifestyle-changes/

[Douglas Zhang]

The news report by Tim
Johnson on China alleged that the crowd of Chinese
customers gathered in front of the French retailer
store Carrefour was sanctioned by Chinese government.
This is again a woefully wrong assessment of the public opinion in China toward the ugly episode of the hostile activities against China across world capitals
in recent weeks. Now the Chinese people in this modern
and technology-enhanced world have free, easy, and ready access to truth and reality which western media has been working so ferociously to deprive Chinese people of and which western media has been so skillful in and capable of distorting. The anti-western
sentiments that have been growing rapidly among Chinese people are genuine and serious, not the result
of government instigation as western media would like
their audiences to believe. Actually, one of the greatest triumphant victories for the Chinese government in the aftermath of western media intentional distortion of what was going on in Tibet and distortion of China's human
rights records is the spontaneous and frenzied
demonstration of total distrust and aversion by the
Chinese people toward western media and whoever behind
it. The good image of "fair and balanced" western
media has been irreparably damaged and irretrievably
lost as far as Chinese people are concerned, resulting
in western countries losing yet another leverage to
influence the hearts and minds of the Chinese people. What goes around comes around! What has resulted directly from this recent round of western media hostility toward China is the total failure of and
dramatic end to the mission of western countries to start "a peaceful evolution" through ideological competition to be carried out chiefly, if not
entirely, by its media outlets. Now among all the
uncertainties surrounding China one thing is 100%
certain, that is, the option of turning China into the
orbit of western countries through "peaceful evolution" can be forever scratched out from the list of their options.

Douglas Zhang

[A B]

Sue,

I am not unsympathetic with the impact of abrupt change on foreigners.

However, it is not just the Olympics.

It is the terrorist incident recently, the intelligence information indicating more attempts, AND the Tibet protest that was timed to disrupt the Olympics, AND the global organization behind the protests that caused rules to be tightened abruptly.

In my view, they have not been tightened enough. Elsewhere in this blog I have pointed out some of the obvious areas of deficiencies, like not stamping passports "not valid for Beijing, and perhaps Tibet, area" during the critical 8 weeks before, during and right after the Olympics to keep out foreigners that don't belong there.

I am greatly concerned that the Ministry of Public Security and the other security agencies are not up to the task of securing the Olympics given the range, scope, and depth of the efforts intelligence have picked up about what protest groups like the Tibetans, the Dai Lai Lama, various anti-China activists, Fan Lun Gong, etc. are planning.

The fact is, China simply do not have the intelligence capability, particularly in signals intelligence, of the US and its allies worldwide, and is far less able to monitor plots being hatched in far away places.

If there was a good working relationship with the US and their allies, China would expect the US to reciprocate the cooperation given to the US on al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups that threaten the US, and have the US give them tips and assistance to foil some of these plots ahead of time. However, there is no assurance that the US and its allies will do their part, leaving China to fend off these plots hatched around the world on its own.

Under such circumstances, the visa rules are but a weak 2nd or 3rd line of defense against these enemies of China. I am afraid that, all things considered, the tightening is not going to do the job. There are just far too many holes still.

If it is the USA holding a major international event shortly after 9/11, the visa rules would be far tighter and more rigidly enforced.

The real lesson out of the Olympics is that China need to make a real investment (in the hundreds of Billions of Yuan) in a world class signal intelligence operation after the Olympics.

[Officer Bob Brady]

Douglas? A B? have you been drinking? your talking kind of funny.

But seriously.

What do you think of CNN starting a Jack Cafferty Internship program to be awarded to Chinese College students studying Communications and Media Science to participate in professional internships at CNN HQ in Atlanta so they can get experience in western media? The would be a good cross cultural experience.

Don't you think?

[A B]

Tim,

I would consider the amendment below to your article "As Olympics near" as a reasonable, timely, and fair correction.

Thank you.

Can you imagine what an international incident it would be if the equivalent of two Sikhs being gunned down in Texas and Arizona after 9/11 occurred?

Foreigners are safer in China today than foreigners who resemble Muslim terrorists in the past 7 years in the United States.

----------

Article correction:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/tim_johnson/story/34838.html

"The Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, declared that authorities would guarantee "the physical safety and legal rights" of foreigners coming to China, and it rejected reports that a throng of protesters had tried to harm an American volunteer teacher in Hunan province.

James Galvin, a 22-year-old Boston College graduate, was taunted outside a Carrefour market in Zhuzhou Sunday night. He later sent an email to an English-language Web site in Shanghai saying that while chanting protesters had surrounded his taxi, they didn't break any windows or harm him.

"I was not in fact attacked by a mob," Galvin told the Shanghaiist.com Web site. He couldn't be reached directly.

Steven Parker, the China field director for WorldTeach, a Cambridge, Mass.-based program that sends volunteers around the world, warned volunteers in a letter Monday to stay away from protests, saying a mob had tried to smash the windows of Galvin's taxi and tip it over, making him feel "extremely unsafe."

A McClatchy story reported Parker's initial version. The Foreign Ministry sent a fax to the Beijing bureau saying his version "misrepresented" what Galvin later clarified had occurred."

[A B]

"CNN starting a Jack Cafferty Internship program to be awarded to Chinese College students"

In that same vein, the author of the above need to propose:

Adolph Hitler Internship offered by the German Government to be awarded to Jewish College Students to study solutions to the Jewish problem in Europe.

Osama Bin Laden Internship offered by the Saudi Government for Infidel American College students to study Jihad.

Should I go on?

[Y]

A B:

I kept wondering who is the real journalist?

I am also considering quiting my cashier job to join a news media. Do they need sometihng like a license? What is the standard hourly rate for this career?

[Officer Bob Brady]

No you have already demonstrated that you have the mental disposition of a donkey.

You know Jack Cafferty works in the media so there would be some consitency to offer and internship to communication majors.

An Adolf Hitler intership would be for aspiring german leaders to do what you mention.

The Osama Bin Laden internship you got half right to be consistent in the analogy you are attempting to make then internship would be for those aspiring to attack the US.

Any word about when Hu will start publicly spanking the members of the Love Me China clique?

[A B]

The remarkable thing about the Tibet incident is how the reputations of the global media converged: With the Chinese official press becoming less propagandistic, and the Western press becoming more obviously propagandistic.

For McClatchy Newspapers, whose motto is "Truth to power" to fall prey to a greatly exaggerated hearsay account of attack on a foreigner without checking the facts with a second corroborating account as required in Western journalist training is pretty funny.

Not as funny as CNN cropping a picture and not expecting to get caught when everyone else has access to the same picture.

The big winner is the independent sources, such as the blogs, commentators, and video hosting services who are able to present a totally different picture and often, break news before any regular news channel.

Y, you have a job as a cashier? Does it pay better than my job as a peasant farmer?

[A B]

Tim,

Is it reasonable to presume that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of State Security, among other agencies, are avid readers of your blog?

[Y]

A B:

I started with a cooker. You know, mixing stuff together and stirring, ... I thought I am good at it.

The boss said I did a good job, but there was a more improtant one for me. That's why I ended up with doing a cashier. No, it paid less than a farmer.

Maybe a farmer + a cashier can start a much better news business that reports things from a different perspective.

[A B]

Y,

Would that mean it is a workers and peasants organization?

Do we name it the "Chinese People's Workers and Peasants Mutual Profit News"?

Or does it matter what color the cat is?

[Y]

A B:

Exactly and good naming. Searched the web for a while, and there seems to be one that can be used as the orgnization's official webpage: www.china-rises.org

[Y]

A B:

Exactly and good naming. Searched the web for a while, and there seems to be one that can be used as the orgnization's official webpage: www.china-rises.org

[A B]

Pretty good! Y.

Now just got to get 1.3 billion advertisers each contributing a few yuans a month for their ads to pay for the thing.

[Y]

A B:

Getting ordinary people's pocket money is not part of the plan.

What enables the open-source movement to challenge big names is the passion to do things right. (Sounds similar to Mr Dalai's theory of compassion)

[A B]

Y,

But how do we claim to represent the Workers and Peasants if we don't pick the pockets of every one to finance this?

Why, you wouldn't want to be monks who have taken a vow of poverty and then be able to contribute to financing political campaigns, right?

We need to pass a resolution in the NPC entitling us to 1/10,000,000 of the GDP of China, payable in gold bullion at the beginning of every year to finance this.

Let's call it the Chinese Anti-Defamation League!

[EK]

As a Jewish-American, I'm highly offended by the Hitler analogies offered in these comments. Hitler continued a long traditon of systematic, Jewish genocide in Europe. How can you equate some news anchor that disagrees with the Chinese govt with a Megalomanical madman and murderer?? Please, people, learn some unbiased history then make stupid comments like that.
You should be aware that saying those types of things can offend Jews (particularly those with relatives that were killed in horrible ways) more than jack Cafferty's comments can offend the Chinese people.
On the other hand, Jack Cafferty clearly let his bias get in the way of his reporting and I do think a public apology is in order (from HIM, not the US govt....In the US there is something called freedom of speech and freedom of the press, which the Chinese should respect in the same way that they want respect for their customs and societal values)to mend this situation and repair the ever-growing relationship between China and the US.