Foreigners Feel The Heat Of Olympic Fever
A colleague just sent me the following anecdote, which is a great case study about why foreigners in China should never leave their home without their passports until the week after the closing ceremony. Photocopies do not count.
My husband was held 3 hours in a police station 2 weeks ago outside of Shanghai although he had a copy of his passport.
His company is having problem renewing his residence and work visa. He has been asked to go to the office to answer many questions but they have still not be able to schedule an appointment with him because everything is slowed at the moment ( even more so since the earth quake). He has to stay at home and cannot travel for his business until he gets his new visa.
Another colleague arrived to work shaken after she was grilled by the PSB for twenty minutes. The police stopped her near her home and were none too happy that she appeared to have two residential addresses.
Meanwhile, foreigners have been finding it more difficult to renew multiple entry visas from within mainland China or Hong Kong.
It is a funny time to be a foreigner in China. It’s counter intuitive to witness a tightening of procedures on the eve of China’s big international coming out party. There is also lots of international goodwill and sympathy towards China after the Wenchuan earthquake. Issues related to the Olympic torch protests have faded into the background. However, a Hong Kongese friend suggested that the Chinese Government is unwilling to take any chances about visitors engaging in any mischief so foreigners in China are being scrutinised very closely.
Anyway, look out for bunting around Huai Hai Lu and Nanjing Lu tomorrow. The Olympic torch relay is coming to Shanghai.
Related Posts
Don’t Forget Your Passport
China Visa Updates
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Posted: May 22nd, 2008 under China, Shanghai, news.
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