Can Sri Lankans Visit China? Not Really
The Chinese visa policy seems rather roundabout.
China is Sri Lanka’s new big brother, which is kinda creepy but kinda fine, cause China and Chinese people are cool. I want to visit and a friend was going, but her visa got denied. Not her visa though, apparently no single Sri Lankan tourist can just go to China. We have to go in groups of five. Presumably with minders. Uncool.
I wouldn’t believe it but this just happened to a friend. A friend living in Beijing referred me to this rare bit of public interaction from the Chinese Embassy in Colombo. It’s a comment on a thread
Evarad | May 14, 2011
can 2 passengers apply for individual tourism visa to china
Visa Assistant | May 14, 2011
No, there should be at least 5 people to form a group. Individual tourism visa to china is not issued for Sri Lankan nationalities. (Chinese Embassy In Sri Lanka))
To which I would say ‘what whaaat?’, but this is apparently true still. I mean, it just happened.
While I thank China for giving our governators a credit card, building highways (cool) and ports and power plants (less cool, cause they don’t work), giving us gifts (like Nelum Pokuna) and sending us convict labor and prostitutes, I think it would only be fair of Big Brother to let us, like, visit.
There is nothing more important for social commerce and friendship between nations than simply letting people visit each other. I know people who go to China for business regularly, but this tourism visa thing is new to me. I want to go soon, but it’s also kinda worrying (though I’m dual and may have an option).
The five pax requirement is clearly onerous and limits you to package tours rather than exploring and actually experiencing China. Apparently there are exceptions for relatives of people working in China but that’s still deeply uncool.
As much as the American government gives us shit diplomatically, the social commerce between our nations is still good. I mean, two of the President’s brothers lived there, and the Army Commander had a green card. Both the US and UK can be tough with the visa, but they still give them.
So, China Aiya, it’s only hospitable. Let Sri Lankan tourists visit unhindered.
Posted on Thursday, March 15th, 2012 in China, Sri Lanka, travel.
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Damnit!
I was hoping to visit Tianmen Cave, China with my wife. But looks like we gonna have to wait until we have 3 kids at least.
Good thing we are far away from China b’se China as a neighbor sucks (more than India).
Perhaps this is just for tourists?
There are a lot of people who go on business and they seem to do so in small numbers, but then they may have to prove that they are going to a conference or something.
They dont seem to have that restriction for other nationalities but perhaps they know the tendency of Sri Lankan’s to skip. Japan and S. Korea are two places that are currently popular, perhaps they could get there through China?
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/practical-information/visas
http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/zgqz/t84246.htm
The Nelum Pokuna Theatre was not a gift. Part of the money (40%) was a grant the rest was a loan.
The highway was a combination of ADB, Japanese and Chinese funding
http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/southern-highway/
To add to Jack Point’s comments; the Southern Expressway is awesome and I am a big fan but the road had to be re-surfaced numerous times in certain places which means our bill for it is higher :-(
My sister and her husband went to China a few years back, before the Olympics. Anything other than pre-arranged package tours was close to impossible and they had plain clothes minders following at a distance, both watching them and watching over them. For example, they saw a female begger in Beijing, but were quickly ushered away by their tour guide as, in the distance, the minders scooped her up in their arms and took her off into an alleyway. I hope she was released unharmed, but who knows?
Interestingly, the one child policy and subsequent infanticide of female babies has lead to young bilingual women being in high demand by tour companies to act as guides. They can easily make 10 times their male counterparts, so I understand.
Yeah. China. Cool? To a point (perhaps not for many Chinese). I’d love to go, though. Indi – form a group of 5!
Wow, that’s a bit odd. I guess Hong Kong would have to do for now.
[...] postures to be Sri Lanka’s new best friend, it’s no great friend to Sri Lankan people. Sri Lankans cannot apply for normal tourist visas to China, at least not officially. A friend discovered this when her request was rejected, I found some [...]