COMMENTARY: Chinese citizens and visas - not by the book

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By Sami Sillanpää in Beijing
     
      China is an authoritarian country run by the Communist Party. One might imagine that it would be difficult to travel to China.
      It is not. A Finnish tourist can get a visa from the Chinese Embassy in four days by sending a passport, a photograph, and an application. Quick visas are issued while the traveller waits. Even businessmen often take a tourist visa.
      But what if a Chinese business traveller wants to travel to Finland?
      He or she has to present a number of documents to the Finnish consulate, including a letter of guarantee from the employer, the business licence of the company, a letter of invitation from a host in Finland, a bank book, and proof of lodging in the Schengen zone for the whole duration of the visit.
      First-timers usually have to go to the embassy for questioning before the trip. Even if a Chinese citizen gets a visa, he or she can be turned away at the Finnish border if the itinerary has changed. Upon return from a successful trip, many Chinese have to visit the Finnish Embassy once again to prove that they have come back.
     
What would a Finnish traveller think if he or she were treated like this by the officials of some country? One might get the impression that the destination country is a police state.
      There are reasons for the rules concerning travel by Chinese citizens. The rules are shared by all EU countries, and some of them are linked with China’s own rules. The EU also wants to prevent illegal immigration.
      Rules can be interpreted in many ways. At Finnish border inspections two completely different ways of thinking converge. In Finland people are accustomed to doing everything completely by the book. The Chinese are in the habit of thinking practically: a good result is what is most important, even if some rules are stretched a bit.
      Now there is disagreeemnt over whether or not a Chinese businessperson is allowed to include tourism in his or her business trip.
      It is hard for Chinese to see what the problem is if they stay in Finland for a couple of days after a meeting for shopping sightseeing. According to the rules, it is wrong, say Finnish visa officials and the Border Guard.
     
They carefully examine how many days a Chinese citizen is using for entertainment, and how many for work. "Is this what you have in that free democracy of yours?" the Chinese ask with wonder.
      Other EU countries have similar problems. Three countries have solved the issue by granting tourist visas to individual Chinese citizens and not just for tourist groups. Sightseeing is allowed, and no work has to be done.
      So what is Finland’s policy?
      In an interview with Helsingin Sanomat, a representative of the Finnish Embassy says that Finland can grant a private tourist visa to wealthy Chinese.
      This has not been told to Chinese travel agencies, and the matter is not mentioned on the Embassy’s website. When Chinese ask about it at the Embassy, they are told that Finland does not grant individual tourist visas.
      What rule might this be linked with?
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 14.11.2006


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Chinese refused entry for visas acquired under false premises (14.11.2006)
  Border Guard concerned about increased direct flights between Finland and China (15.2.2006)

SAMI SILLANPÄÄ / Helsingin Sanomat
sami.sillanpaa@hs.fi