Surging Chinese travel spurs US visa work
By Dong Zhen |
January 20, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AS China becomes more prosperous, its people are traveling to the United States in record numbers and the Chinese demand for US visas is growing 35 percent a year with no end in sight, US Embassy officials said yesterday.
To facilitate the booming demand, the US government is expanding its visa-processing capacity in China with bigger consular facilities and staffing, and may lengthen visa validity for Chinese nationals, embassy spokesman Richard Buangan said yesterday in Beijing.
Through November of 2011, US merchandise exports to China totaled US$94.2 billion, up 11.5 percent year on year, Buangan told a news conference. He added that while the bilateral trade relationship grew in 2011, China's impressive economic growth is also contributing to global economic recovery.
"We welcome China's continued economic growth because a prosperous China is good for the US economy. It creates American jobs and it fuels worldwide economic growth," Buangan said.
China's continuous economic growth and multi-faceted exchanges with the United States have also driven the booming demand for US visas, the spokesman said. The US ambassador to China, Gary Locke, has also made facilitating the US visa application process a priority as he recognizes the importance of welcoming Chinese visitors to the US.
US consular authorities will carry out capacity improvements this year to service the growth in demand. New consular facilities will open in Guangzhou and Shanghai, and about 50 new consular officers will be added, increasing total staffing in China by nearly 50 percent, Buangan said.
The US Department of Commerce estimates that the number of first-time Chinese travelers to the US will triple in the next five years, Buangan said. Chinese travelers spend an average of US$6,000 while in the US, he said.
Facts about Chinese visitors to US
In 2011, over one million non-immigrant visa applications were processed in China, 34 percent more than the previous year. About 90 percent of such applications from Chinese nationals were approved.
In the last school year, nearly 160,000 students from China were studying in the US, up 23 percent from a year earlier. China is the leading country of origin for students coming to the US, making up almost 22 percent of all foreign students.
Among Chinese studying in the US, 36 percent are undergraduates, 49 percent pursue graduate degrees, and 15 percent are in internships or other programs.
To facilitate the booming demand, the US government is expanding its visa-processing capacity in China with bigger consular facilities and staffing, and may lengthen visa validity for Chinese nationals, embassy spokesman Richard Buangan said yesterday in Beijing.
Through November of 2011, US merchandise exports to China totaled US$94.2 billion, up 11.5 percent year on year, Buangan told a news conference. He added that while the bilateral trade relationship grew in 2011, China's impressive economic growth is also contributing to global economic recovery.
"We welcome China's continued economic growth because a prosperous China is good for the US economy. It creates American jobs and it fuels worldwide economic growth," Buangan said.
China's continuous economic growth and multi-faceted exchanges with the United States have also driven the booming demand for US visas, the spokesman said. The US ambassador to China, Gary Locke, has also made facilitating the US visa application process a priority as he recognizes the importance of welcoming Chinese visitors to the US.
US consular authorities will carry out capacity improvements this year to service the growth in demand. New consular facilities will open in Guangzhou and Shanghai, and about 50 new consular officers will be added, increasing total staffing in China by nearly 50 percent, Buangan said.
The US Department of Commerce estimates that the number of first-time Chinese travelers to the US will triple in the next five years, Buangan said. Chinese travelers spend an average of US$6,000 while in the US, he said.
Facts about Chinese visitors to US
In 2011, over one million non-immigrant visa applications were processed in China, 34 percent more than the previous year. About 90 percent of such applications from Chinese nationals were approved.
In the last school year, nearly 160,000 students from China were studying in the US, up 23 percent from a year earlier. China is the leading country of origin for students coming to the US, making up almost 22 percent of all foreign students.
Among Chinese studying in the US, 36 percent are undergraduates, 49 percent pursue graduate degrees, and 15 percent are in internships or other programs.
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