(ECNS) – German Ambassador to China Michael Clauss has emphasized that expectations of visa-free treatment for Chinese citizens should be viewed from a long-term perspective.
According to a written statement by the German embassy in Beijing, Clauss said: "I could imagine that as we look at the issue from the long run, say 5 to 10 years, Germany and China can grant visa-free treatment to each other."
Clauss made the remarks to reporters while attending the embassy's opening day on May 7 in Beijing.
In the statement, the embassy introduced progress Germany has made in visa facilitation. Since 2014, Germany has simplified visa application procedures and shortened processing times, with business visas granted within 48 hours. Moreover, frequent travelers and businesspeople can get a multiple entry visa for one or more years, without extra charge, it said.
During her visit to China last October, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Germany will further shorten visa processing times, with the aim of granting visas to Chinese citizens within three days.
This year, Germany will set up 10 more visa application processing centers in China.
Since early March, processing centers in Wuhan, Jinan and Chongqing have already been up and running, while those in Shenzhen, Changsha and Hangzhou have been in operation since April. Upcoming ones in Xi'an, Kunming, Nanjing and Fuzhou will be put into use soon. By then, Germany will have opened visa centers in all Chinese cities approved by China's authorities.
The number of Chinese visitors to Germany has been on the rise in recent years. According to official data from the German side, it granted nearly 400,000 visas to Chinese travelers last year, up 16 percent from 2014. Many Chinese cities have launched direct flights to Germany.
