Business leaders and travel organizations in Toronto are celebrating the new visa rules for China, which will enable Canadian passport holders to visit the country without a visa starting Tuesday.
This update was shared by the foreign ministry over the weekend and will remain effective until Dec. 31, according to a statement from a spokesperson on its website. The idea of allowing visa-free travel was first brought up in January, following Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Beijing where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Bijan Ahmadi, who serves as the executive director for the Canada China Business Council, referred to this change as a “constructive and practical step forward.”
“For businesses, speed and predictability matter. The ability to travel on shorter notice supports deal-making, due diligence, participation at trade shows, executive visits, and relationship-building,” he wrote in an email.
The updates create significant opportunities for Canadians, said Gordon So, a Toronto entrepreneur and co-founder of Landed for Success, a business networking platform for immigrants. So mentioned that he’s heard from friends and clients who could benefit – or already are benefiting – from it.
“A friend of mine here in Toronto is in Sri Lanka, and literally a [business] opportunity came up for him to be in China, so he is going there for a business trip and won’t need a visa,” he said.
WATCH | Carney meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing:
Carney meets Xi Jinping, hails progress in resetting trade with China
After years of tense relations, Prime Minister Mark Carney has met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Carney praised an initial agreement with China to work together more on clean and traditional energy; however, the Canada-China tariff dispute remains unsettled.
So – originally from Hong Kong and often traveling there for work – stated that these changes would allow him to take clients to business networking events like the Asian Financial Forum where they can pitch investors from all over China and establish partnerships.
“In the past, if you meet someone at the Asian Financial Forum, maybe it’s a banker from somewhere in Beijing that you want to continue doing business with; if you don’t have a visa you can’t go,” said So.
“Now if you meet someone and three days after the event you’re thinking ‘Oh I would love to go meet them.’ With your Canadian passport you can now freely just travel to China.”
“At best I would suggest cautious optimism.”
Source link
Carney meets Xi Jinping, hails progress in resetting trade with China
After years of tense relations, Prime Minister Mark Carney has met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Carney praised an initial agreement with China to work together more on clean and traditional energy; however, the Canada-China tariff dispute remains unsettled.
So – originally from Hong Kong and often traveling there for work – stated that these changes would allow him to take clients to business networking events like the Asian Financial Forum where they can pitch investors from all over China and establish partnerships.
“In the past, if you meet someone at the Asian Financial Forum, maybe it’s a banker from somewhere in Beijing that you want to continue doing business with; if you don’t have a visa you can’t go,” said So.
“Now if you meet someone and three days after the event you’re thinking ‘Oh I would love to go meet them.’ With your Canadian passport you can now freely just travel to China.”
Traveling to China Will ‘Explode’
Bijan mentioned that many businesses he’s spoken with view visa-free travel as a “welcome move” that goes beyond just business trips since it can also boost tourism between both countries which could support local economies. Jessica Vandermey is the regional vice-president of sales for Asia-Pacific at Kensington Tours, a Toronto-based travel agency that’s been active in China for over 15 years. She noted that their company has already seen 100 percent growth in trips to China over the past year. The option of traveling without needing visas will likely cause interest in visiting China “to explode,” she said. “It’s really removing one of the biggest obstacles.” Vandermey shared that she’s already noticing “last-minute” requests coming through because clients no longer have concerns about how long visa applications might take or their costs.‘Cautious Optimism’
However, Aurel Braun-a professor specializing in international relations and political science at the University of Toronto-suggested Canadians should stay cautious regarding this situation. Braun pointed out worries about transparency within China’s government while highlighting its aggressive stance towards Taiwan along with previous detentions involving Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor-actions widely seen as retaliation against Canada’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. “We shouldn’t fall into believing that all of a sudden this regime now in China has changed dramatically offering unlimited opportunities; we won’t have relationships comparable to what we have with Germany or Britain,” Braun advised.“At best I would suggest cautious optimism.”
Source link
