US and China Agree on Extended Business, Tourist Visas

President Barack Obama, announced Monday that the United States and China will grant citizens visas of longer duration of upto a decade. He is currently on  a state visit to China.

Business and short-term tourist visas will be valid for 10 years, according to the agreement and  student and cultural exchange visas will  be valid for five years, reports the Associated Press. Currently, such visas expire after just one year.

Addressing  a business meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit President Obama sought to assure China that the U.S. interest in Asia would in no way come in the way of China's growth in the region. He said "one country's prosperity doesn't have to come at the expense of the other".

"We want China to do well," Obama said, reports the Associated Press. "We compete for business, but we also seek to cooperate on a broad range of challenges and shared opportunities."

The announcement came just a day after the president's arrival in China, supposedly to promote closer working ties with China.

But, surprisingly at a 11-nation meeting  of heads of state at the U.S. embassy , to discuss a trade pact, China was conspicuously absent, according to a report by the Fox News.

Also in his address to the Asian CEOs at the APEC summit, Obama  touched on the issue of cyber theft by China,  human rights issues and financial manipulations.

White House spokespersons also stated that similar concerns will be addressed at the meeting between President Obama and the Chinese President Xi Jinping, reports the Fox News

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