Chinese President Xi Jinping appeals to foreign leaders for fair play for its academics, businesses
- Leader says he hopes nations can treat companies, students and scholars equally, ‘provide a friendly environment for exchange and cooperation’
- Comments come amid rising tensions over ‘visa war’ being waged between China and US
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday appealed for nations around the world to treat Chinese companies and academics fairly, amid rising concerns that exchanges between China and the United States are being hampered by visa problems.
While he did not mention any countries by name, Xi’s comments came after several academics complained of being unable to travel to the US because they were refused the necessary documents.
“China will expand its opening up measures, which is a self-made choice based on its development and reform,” Xi said in his keynote speech to 37 foreign leaders at the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.
“This can help China to improve the quality of its economic development.
“We also hope other nations in the world can create a positive investment environment, equally treat Chinese enterprises, students and scholars, and provide a fair and friendly environment for their international exchange and cooperation activities.”
An open China would encourage positive interactions with other nations and support its continued development, he said.
Six takeaways from Xi’s Belt and Road Forum speech
While some said their visas had been revoked, others complained that the application process was now so lengthy and complicated that it was difficult to complete it in time to attend important events in the US.
Diplomatic observers said earlier that while the FBI had stepped up its efforts to combat espionage, many of its targets were not even involved in sensitive work and therefore posed no threat to America’s national security.
Once such example was Zhu Feng, an international relations professor specialising in US studies at Nanjing University, who said he was approached by two FBI agents at a Los Angeles airport in January last year – after which his 10-year US visa was cancelled.
Belt and road scheme explained
Despite such cases, the US State Department said it welcomed more than 350,000 students and scholars from China in 2018.
The problem also appears to go both ways. Earlier this month, White House adviser Michael Pillsbury was unable to attend a forum in Beijing organised by the Centre for China and Globalisation on China’s international relations because he was not granted a visa in time. The event was held on April 14 and he submitted his application on March 22.
Xi also said on Friday that China would continue to promote cooperation in the fight against corruption, and on education, think tanks and people-to-people exchanges for the “Belt and Road Initiative”.
Over the next five years it would support 5,000 people to take part in exchange programmes and set up a committee to promote exchanges between think tanks, he said.
