WH: US-China visa deal a ‘game changer’

A new deal dramatically extending the length of visas for individuals traveling between the U.S. and China will be a “game changer” for relations between Washington and Beijing, the White House said Monday.

{mosads}The U.S. and China will now issue short-term tourist and business visas that are valid for up to 10 years. Students traveling between the two countries will now be granted visas lasting five years. Previously, all three types had been valid only for a single year.

“In terms of the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, this is a game changer,” said National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs Evan Medeiros.

A senior administration official described the pact as “a really big win” that could lead to “hundreds of thousands of additional U.S. jobs” thanks to increased Chinese tourism.

According to the White House, some 100 million Chinese tourists travel internationally each year, but only 1.8 million come to the U.S. — partially because of the arduous visa requirements. President Obama said Monday he expected travel to as much as quadruple under the new agreement.

“I’ve heard from American business leaders about how valuable this step will be,” Obama said during a speech just hours after landing in Beijing. “And we’ve worked hard to achieve this outcome because it clearly serves the mutual interest of both of our countries.”

The policy is now more in line with the way the U.S. handles travel with countries like Brazil, India and Mexico.

“We see this as a really big deal for the economy,” the official said.

The White House said it also hoped the deal would improve political relations between the two countries.

“In terms of the political benefits, it allows for greater contact, which facilitates further communication, which leads to more understanding, which gets at some of the core sources of distrust and competition at the heart of the U.S. China relationship,” the official said.

Obama looked to stress other areas of potential mutual cooperation during his visit to China for high-level trade and economic discussions.

“We want China to do well,” Obama said. “We compete for business, but we also seek to cooperate on a broad range of challenges and shared opportunities.”

The president said the U.S.’s security and prosperity was “inextricably intertwined with Asia” and that the countries sought cooperation on a range of issues, including stopping the spread of Ebola, battling climate change and preventing nuclear proliferation.

“Over recent decades, the United States has worked to help integrate China into the global economy — not only because it’s in China’s best interest, but because it’s in America’s best interest, and the world’s best interest,” Obama said. “We want China to do well.”