Mr. Shangkong | Chinese passport holders gain from US visa deal
China will stay more united to its people by making its passport more travel-friendly
US President Barack Obama, whose popularity at home is sinking, looked outwards instead last week to strike two major deals with China - co-operation on climate change and visa extensions for mainland citizens.
The two agreements have long-term implications for US-China relations. The visa deal will have an immediate and direct impact on millions of mainlanders. It is a bit personal for me and my family, too.
When Obama announced in Beijing during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that the validity of business and tourist visas would be extended to up to 10 years, and student and exchange visas to up to five years, my parents were flying to the US to visit me.
It is their first trip to the country and has come about after at least three years of discussion on when we should travel to the US for a family holiday. My parents have retired and are Chinese passport holders. One reason they hesitated to holiday in the US was they felt the visa application process was too complicated.
My appointment to an American university fellowship meant I could sponsor my parents' trip.
Chinese passport is not always the most hassle-free travel document with which to enter foreign nations
After they arrived in New York to visit me, my dad saw the news of Obama's announcement on television and said: "Then next time I will try to get a 10-year multiple-entry visa so we can travel more together to the US and visit different places, not just New York City, whenever we want."
