As learned, a report to be issued soon by China-American Chamber of Commerce is going to criticize the high-handed measures taken by the US after the "9.11"incident on retarding and rejecting the issuance of visas to the Chinese citizens to the US. In the period from July 2002 to March 2004 the practice had incurred a loss of 30 billion US dollars for the American business circle on its China trade.

The report points out, the Chinese citizens obtained US visas last year downed 40 percent as compared to that in the peak period of 2001. The American immigration authority put a high-hand on those non-immigrating Chinese to provide finger-prints for their visas, accepting interviews and background investigations and even wantonly rejected visa-applications. The "Chinese officials, employees and businessmen are not willing to go to the USA for they know that the US visa-procedures are too complicated, difficult and moreover, it's a sort of discrimination."The report holds, the practice adopted by the US against the Chinese citizens should not constitute a goal of the US policies, nor can it help the US get benefits from it for "many Chinese citizens feel that they are suffering humiliation from the US visa procedures."

The criticism by the report is a nail hit right on the head of the US authority concerned, which reflect not only the dissatisfaction from the US business circles, enterprises and non-governmental organizations but also speak out the complaints of the Chinese partners and citizens. Since the "9.11"incident the US authorities concerned have wantonly rejected the Chinese officials and citizens to get the US visas on the pretext of anti-terrorism, which has not only landed China time and again in economic losses but also a humiliation on the dignity of some Chinese citizens, in which quite a number of the cases are the deliberate obstacles.

The writer has for three times been at the large-scale international fairs of household electric appliances and computers science and technology in Las Vegas. Every time the sponsoring units hope to have more Chinese products on show, but each time half of the Chinese exhibitors were barred out of the door for visas sake. The result was that they paid for the stands with exhibits on them but there was nobody there to give explanations or carry on demonstrations. Especially at the international household electric appliances held last year, most of the exhibition halls for Chinese exhibits were squeezed to an obscure corner for the retardation and rejection of visas. And moreover, due to very few people came here for the exhibition the Chinese exhibition hall was very quiet, forming a big contrast to those exhibition halls from Europe, Japan and some other countries.

At the exhibition of advanced equipment and instruments for ophthalmic science and technology held last year in Los Angeles, an ophthalmic authority from Shanghai told the writer, the Chinese exhibition group had brought in many new and advanced hi-tech products. However, due to that many exhibitors were unable to get in for visa-troubles they had to hire the local Chinese to watch over the stands. And because they were after all not professionals they were unable to make exchanges with sci-tech personnel from other countries nor were they able to introduce goods to businessmen of other countries hence a very big loss.

Not long ago, certain American Chinese in Los Angeles imported a batch of machinery equipment, ready to put up a factory in the USA. Reasonably speaking, this would help the US increase its opportunities for employment, but what happened was that the machinery equipment has been in place the Chinese engineer for the assembly was barred out of the US for the visa-problem. Therefore the workshop and equipment are there but unable to put into operation. He has to suffer losses every day, feeling very anxious about it. He strongly demands that the US get rid of the "rude and unreasonable" doings.

A certain person in charge of receiving a traffic and transportation study group from a province of China told the writer. The group was planned to have 7 persons but finally only the group leader got the visa with the rest all rejected. He said if all were rejected that would be all right but now he was at a loss not knowing how to handle the matter.

Still somebody informed the writer a Chinese ball-game team intended to go to the US for a match but one third of the team were rejected from coming in, making everybody not to know whether to laugh or wail. Since so many people are missing, how can the match be conducted? The most loathsome is that many visa-rejections are utterly unreasonable.

The report of the US Chamber of Commerce also pointed out the problems that exist in the scientific and cultural exchanges between China and the US. Persons in the sci-tech circle complained by saying that certain Chinese sci-tech group was unable to come to the US for attending the international sci-tech conference because most of its members were unable to get visas. The Chinese students for post-graduate studies at present to the US are on the decrease year by year due to the visa problem. According to the investigation by a certain unit on some 113 schools for post-graduate studies in the USA as a whole, about three fourth of the schools showed an obvious decrease on Chinese post-graduate students due to the visa problem. And many Chinese students have to turn to other countries for study. For this, some of the responsible in US universities are quite anxious and full of grudges, for the reduction of post-graduate students are no good for the universities and the US economy as a whole. According to statistics, in the past the US was able to get in a revenue of 12.8 billion US dollars every year from the international tuition fees and living allowances while the long benefit they brought to the US was even bigger. Experts concerned pointed out, for the US to become so developed a country overseas talents have played a very important part in it. Now the US rejects the scholars and sci-tech personnel from entering it is sure to affect the US development in the future.

To take a square look at the problem, on the visa problem whether the US authority concerned is doing it intentionally or unintentionally, it has already become an obstacle to the Sino-US economy and trade and to the sci-tech and cultural exchanges as well. This should deserve the attention of the US authorities concerned, and for the best the US should do no more things damaging more on it rather than on others.

By People's Daily Online