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Subscribe to RSSHong Kong business travelers say they are frustrated by a recent decision by the United States to allow visa-free travel for Taiwanese coming to America, the South China Morning Post reported.
"It's disappointing, because we've been asking for it for quite some time, and they still won't give it to us," Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung Ya-chung told the Post last week. "We behave well, never cause trouble and spend handsomely, so why do they give it to Taiwan and not Hong Kong?"
On Oct. 2, Homeland Security announced self-governing Taiwan will join 36 other countries whose nationals may visit the United States without a visa for 90 days, The Associated Press reported. China is not among these countries, but Hong Kong has lobbied for many years to be granted the visa-free status, according to the Post.
A senior State Department official told the AP that including Taiwan in the visa waiver program was consistent with the U.S. commitment to "robust, unofficial relations" with the island.
Richard Vuylsteke, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong told the Post that the chamber had been lobbying the U.S. State and Homeland Security departments for more than five years.
"All of the reasons Taiwan was approved... Hong Kong is also very strong in," he told the Post. "My private speculation is they don't know how to handle mainland Chinese with [Hong Kong] resident status."
In Taiwan's case, waiving the visa requirements is also viewed as a response to the island lifting import restrictions on U.S. beef, the AP reported, as well as a reaction to President Ma Ying-jeou's easing tensions with China.
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Foreign Relations 101, Chapter One: How to antagonize friendlies
we're talking CHINA!!!!!!!!!! not hong kong.
Sorry wingnut, but Hong Kong is China. They may have some sort of special status on paper, but it is Beijing who rules there. And, the boys in Beijing are NOT friends of the US. That status is not likely to change. What is likely to change is the relationship between Taiwan and China. Which should at some point cause the US to review, and end, the no visa arrangement we have with Taiwan.
The Visa free entries, worked well for Thailand...
The recent bombings in Thailand, were conducted by Iranians, who received visas on arrival...
This policy is being revised, to require BG checks prior to arrival, just like the people from other countries are required to have, prior to receiving a visa...
While Taiwanese are not a current threat. The Iranians also had other countries Passports, and had traveled there prior to entering Thailand...
If you want to control Terrorism, you place viable controls on your borders...
hehe... maybe because Taiwan's an ally and China's not?
Why in the hell would we allow Communist Chinese nationals who are well known for their espionage, total lack of basic human rights, and internet censorship, child sex slavery, and warmongering ways visa free travel ?
I wonder what their first clue was ?
All visas from Communist China should be denied. Screw China !
Screw all of those slopeheads, I don't want any of them in my country.
Reading123, I am hoping your "country" is not also mine. Because whatever country you are in, is lessened by your presence.
jayare2020 - Well said. I couldn't have done better myself. People like reading 123 don't understand that they are just showing how ignorant they are when they spew that type of hatred.
China, warmongering? Child sex slaves? The USA is known for child sex slaves, it's on the news regularly in USA. Children kidnapped and used as prostiturtes, babies thrown into dumpsters, children beaten to death by their own parents, every day in the news in USA. All the Sandusky's running around in the USA. As for the warmongering, when is the last time China attacked another country & how many have they attacked vs. the USA.?
Zheng He,
Ask Vietnam about the 17+invasions by China and then handing China their A$$...
Tibet about the 1949 - INVASION...
Or Laos, Cambodia, India, South Korea, and the list goes on, which have had Chinese soldiers on their soil, killing their citizens...
BTY - This was just during the last 65+years...
The psychotic farang from Thailand spew anti-China rhetoric again.
Not nearly as bad as someones else's psychotic anti-Israeli/Jewish rhetoric. Besides, he has the knowledge, background, and experience to back himself up while others don't! I'll take his word over others any day.
The notorious China-basher and the infamous israel-sympathiser flock together making a perfect odd couple. This vine shall see a lot of their collusion.
Sounds like some people are feeling a little paranoid today! Ahh, did someone's feelings get hurt maybe?
While it is easy to prove the anti Israel hate mongering simply by reading past posts, please prove the Israel sympathising you stated if you can. The Vine regularly sees a lot of yours.
Cat got your tongue huh? Just what I figured.
Taiwan = Friends and allies.
Hong Kong = Communist China and potential espionage!
Now why should that be so hard for Hong Kong and mainland China to figure out?
What is good for the goose is also good for the gander.
If visa is required for Hong Kongers to visit US, the reciproacting should also be true. Hong Kong authority should impose visa requirement from the visiting yanks.
@Henrich. A reaction from Hong Kong in imposing visa requirements from the U.S. would make sense. Except I'm guessing that U.S. business visitors & tourists and the dollars they spend are more important to Hong Kong's economy? Now I'm sure the U.S. wants all of the legitimate Hong Kong visitors it can get, but as has been mentioned on here already, Hong Kong is now a part of China. And with China's history over the past couple of decades regarding espionage of military, intellectual property, and industrial secrets...my guess is that the U.S. government wants the visa process in place to at least provide another hurdle and review process to Chinese citizens coming and going.
Why are we allowing ANYONE into our country without proper documentation? Regardless of position, no one should be. Suppose that "ally" has been recruited by terrorists or they have kidnapped one of their family members in exchange for intel gathering to plan an act of terrorism? By waiving paperwork requirements, we lose a paper trail that could be critical.
Without proper documentation? They must have a passport from Taiwan and they must present it at the port of entry into the U.S. or they'll be refused entry.
WWWHHHYYYY is visa-free travel given to ANYBODY?????? Ally or not? It should NOT be given to anybody!!!!
As many problems as we have had with Chinese Nationals hacking into shielded systems or buying off corrupt bureaucrats to gain military secrets. Visa free travel is not going to happen anytime soon. Hong Kong is under Beijing's communist control. They are wolves in sheep's clothing claiming they will boost American economic interests. We may as well start exporting our military tech at wholesale prices. That is the only spending they will be doing. They will only end up buying what they can not hack and steal.
I have to wonder if many here know the difference or that there is a difference between visa and passports to enter a country?
The passport is a system of trust that I am an upstanding American citizen trusted by my government and the visited country extends that trust granted to me. So long as I don't stay longer than a set time frame or I must apply for a visa and be vetted by the host country as someone they trust to remain in their country.
A shared system between trusted countries that when traveling I appreciate. While the must have a visa for pre-entry is for suspect countries. That vetting their passports might not be to a standard of international trust or a country run by an untrusted government.
I would think the question here would be is the true seperation from China distant enough that we can trust that their vetting of travel passports won't be exploited by Hong Kong or worse?
Unless of course you don't know the difference and think no visa is just free entry for all the, ''slopeheads'' as you put it, which suggest you don't, pinhead.
Is it a reciprocity agreement?
Hong Kong does not require a visa for U.S. visitors. Mainland China does. Taiwan does not have a visa requirement for Americans staying less than 30 days. I think the visa requirement is much ado about nothing. A visa does not prevent people from overstaying any more than just a passport does. Immigration forms can be used to get most of the necessary information right at the airport.
The Mexicans said; "We don't need no stinking visa's". Support Taiwan as an free in-dependant democratic country do not recognize China's bogus claims.
No foreign country should be allowed into our country without proper documentation. This is craziness. to me anyway,
When Hong Kong becomes an independent country with an elected Parliament or representative government they can apply for visa free travel status. As long as they are a colony of China they suffer with China.
Hong Kong residents can visit 147 countries without the need of a visa despite being a special administration region of China. http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/immigration/traveldoc/hksarpassport/visafreeaccess.htm
Hong Kong was a colony of Britain but not of China.The author of comment #11 exhibits a lack of knowledge and ignorant.
Because Hong Kong is run by the Communist Chinese government. Taiwan is run by a more Democratic Chinese government. Stop being communists and you'll get your visas.
Taiwan is an independent country. It is not China. You will surrender everything to China>like Tibet.
Hong Kong is part of China regardless of how they governed it. They still control by China and they are not as indenpendent as Taiwan. As long as Hong Kong is part of China we must treat them the same as China. If we give Hong Kong residence a visa waiver, it most likely they will find a way to abuse it and all those people from Mainland China will be using the Hong Kong visa waiver to enter the U.S.
As it has been said over and over again... we don't like China or anything about them, then why in the hell do we continue borrowing money from them? This is all bulls...! Yes you're correct in stating that Hong Kong is still a part of China, but to the ignorant person who stated Hong Kongers would be allowed to the U.S. when they separate from the Mainland is stupid... just like me saying when California separates from the rest of the U.S. we'll acknowledge you. And to those fake ethnic Chinese people from Taiwan.... yes, you're still Chinese whether you're living on that little island or from the Mainland. You speak Chinese, write in Chinese characters or in pinyin form, share the same history, eat the same foods, celebrate the same holidays, and hell you even stole original artifacts when you fled the Mainland, so I find it interesting that as much as you deny your Chinese roots from China, and call yourselves "Taiwanese" at the end of the day you're still an ethnic Chinese person living outside of the Mainland. For those Taiwan people living on the island and here in the states... you are still an ethnic Chinese person whether you like it or not. And for those foreign students here from Taiwan you got a hell of a lot of nerve China bashing students from the Mainland.
Most comments are right. Chinese is chinese. It does not matter where you born or live. But please do not forget the saying that: Enter the house everyone should follow the tradition. The article talks about peoples is comming to the U.S. We can not blame them for being careful. In this case, one country is pro demoncratic and the other one is pro communist. The USA carried out the freedom for human right while the other country is having some kind of jungle laws. The peoples belong to the these countries always think money will make them become king and queen to those conntries who borrowed their money. Think harder!!! Who can live next to the neighbor that adds poison ingredients to pet foods as well as human foods and some weirds stuffs to children toys then export them to pocket big profit. Your evil minds already scare other countries but to conquer this world???? Oh! please, think again!!! Any countries have these types of leaders will not last very long because these peoples go towards the direction against the human nature.
They do not use pinyin in Taiwan and they do not use the same Chinese characters. They also did not go through the Cultural Revolution which fundamentally changed mainland and separated it from Taiwan. The artifacts were Chinese and that is where the govt went when the coms decided to set the clock back to the stone age.
Caause we're a dead beat nation - Hadn't you noticed?
Are you sure you are not from Bisbee? Nah, that would be insulting to Bisbee! Please feel free to move to another country and don't let a turnstyle hit you in the rear at the airport on the way out!
@ Lan Gi Kwan,
1) Taiwan did not stole the original artifacts from China. That time the legitimate government is the ROC, not the Communist Coup. So they have the right to move it from a bunch of guerrilla soldiers. You would have done the same if you were in the Nationalist Government's shoes. And even now, these artifacts are being circulated between Taiwanese and Chinese museums for exhibits generating revenue for both so what's your bellyache?
2) We do not deny our chinese roots. We are also proud of the numbers of dynasties that created the Chinese culture. What we aren't proud of is how many ballistic missiles are pointed toward us and the Cultural Revolution which literally destroyed knowledge and free thinking. I guarantee you, if the Cultural Revolution were to never happen, China would be a more advanced country. Ideas of Lenin and Stalin don't work in the era of Ipads and touchscreens.
3) Which Taiwan student is bashing Mainland students? Nobody does that anymore! Unless you're still living in the 50s, which I strongly believe you are.
As many problems as we have had with Chinese Nationals hacking into shielded systems or buying off corrupt bureaucrats to gain military secrets. Visa free travel is not going to happen anytime soon. Hong Kong is under Beijing's communist control. They are wolves in sheep's clothing claiming they will boost American economic interests. We may as well start exporting our military tech at wholesale prices. That is the only spending they will be doing. They will only end up buying what they can not hack and steal.
Hamas allows visa free visits ro the US by Hezbollh warriors. Sounds ''bout as stupid, huh Pilgrims. Who the (((fugg))) does the Great Satan think he is?
Let them cry all they want, China is an antgonistic communist country that can be relied upon to veto or abstain any action the US tries to take in the UN. They just want a free pass to come over here and steal Buisness and military secrets and not have to apply for a Visa. Screw them.
I wonder when I, as a 4th generation American mid-westerner and USAF veteran, will be allowed to bring my Polish wife of over 5 years to the USA "visa-free"
"visa-free" is a misnomer ;under the Visa Waiver program, you receive a visa stamp in your passport at the time and port of entry...
...as opposed to driving, not untypically, hundreds of miles to the nearest American Consulate/Embassy, paying multiple fees, waiting on wooden benches like refugees and submitting to insulting interrogations in an open room full of strangers... all to visit my likewise 4th generation American brother and attend my 5th generation American nieces' wedding (FWIW, all of Irish-Catholic descent)...
My Polish wife is all the more suspect of overstaying her tourist visa BECAUSE she's married to an American; regardless of the fact that I, as a 4th generation American citizen, and USAF veteran, state clearly that we will not break the law (whle simultataneously offering "amnesty" for many who have literally climbed the fence illegally)...
...all navel-pondering and rhetoric aside...
Okay, so what is your opinion about "white" Canadians crossing into the U.S. and obtaining "free" medical and surgical services in California at various teaching hospitals? Yes, they are doing that and charging the bill to Californian tax payers for those services. I know for fact that this is happening because I work at a teaching hospital and have treated several Canadian patients that came here for free services. Once they get their surgeries, they then go back home. Even though Canada has universal health care, it sometimes takes up to 2 years to get scheduled for surgery. I don't see anyone mentioning this or even complaining about the fact that thousands of Canadians cross over to the U.S. everyday and we even have many that came here with no passport or visas... they just blend in. I've traveled throughout southeast Asia with the appropriate Visas and was able to move about freely. I think all countries should be required to issue a visa document in order to be able to track the whereabouts of their citizens when when their own country.
How many US citizens cross over the Canada everyday? Even a lot during the Vietnam War Draft.
Simple formula for you health professional out there:
Canada, UK, Taiwan = friend
China, Russia = not exactly friends
So go here:
Which country on the Visa Waiver Program is not a friend of US?
Like my clinical instructor said: you gotta look at the bigger picture.
Stop the immigration of all foreigners into the USA!!! More people here means less jobs for the exisiting population and keep american jobs in the USA!! Don't we have an unemploymwnt crisis?? Many are coming here to work, educate, and steal trade secrets- some are possible national security threats- Unfortunately most nations hate the USA government so never take for granted that those who have immigrated here came to be loyal AMERICANS
During the Vietnam war my dad got all his tattoos in Thailand.
The Red and Blues faded immediately!! I was born in 77' and by the time i can remember, his tattoos only were black. The eagle on his arm was fine, but there was supposed to be old glory behind it; his other arm had a very ghostly looking bulldog that never looked quite right. I never questioned til i was older.
He finally got the color put back in a few years ago, through prodding from me of course!
Also told me they smoked marijuana 24/7 whenever they made it to Thailand. Of course thats all changed, he's a good ol' boy now :)
As far as this article's point is concerned, Hong Kong knows exactly why they don't get visas. I also don't understand why they just don't make the process of getting the Visa's easier and more streamlined. We shouldn't say EVERY country needs one, regardless of friendly or not. There needs to be documentation of anyone entering this country.
Foreign students with Visas skip out all the time. It was hard to keep them honest before Homeland Security got involved. Now they are saying it's ok for people here for 60 days NOT TO HAVE ONE? I see this as US over-confidence in those countries who are being given this leniency.
Something tells me any country lucky enough to receive this honor had to prove they had serious security goals in mind, or had to welcome American policies and instructors on how we want this taken care of. Why else has Hillary Clinton been in that part of the world so much?
Or we are just crossing our fingers?
should read:
We shouldn't say EVERY country needs one, regardless of friendly or not.
i need a proofer!