UK to launch two-year visit visa for Chinese

A new two-year visa system for Chinese nationals visiting the UK will begin next week, the foreign secretary has announced. It will enable visitors from China to make multiple trips to the UK for longer periods, the government said.

外交部长宣布，一项新的为期两年的中国国民访问签证系统将于下周开始。可以使访客在更长的签证有效期内多次访问英国。

The visa is available for business people to attend conferences or to investigate setting up a business, and tourists.

两年访客签证将适用于旅游出访，商业拜访，参加会议，或商务考察这类型的出行目的。

Philip Hammond announced the new rules on an official visit to Beijing.

英国外交大臣哈蒙德在到北京进行国事访问时宣布了这个新规定。

British visitors to China will also get the same visa arrangement, which will cost 85 pound. This is the same price as the six-month visitor visa that Chinese and UK tourists are currently limited to.

中国政府将会为英国民众提供相同的签证。全新的签证将花费85英镑，与现行的6个月访客签证费用一致。

The change was agreed in principle during President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK in October.

十月份，中国主席习近平去英国进行国事访问，同意了这项提议。

Mr Hammond said: "It is designed to make it easier for Chinese business people, for Chinese tourists to visit the UK and we hope that it will herald the beginning of a far higher level of interchange and exchange between our two peoples."

哈蒙德说："这次签证政策的改变将会为中国商人、游客造访英国提供便利，这标志着中英两国人民交流和合作将会更上一层楼。"

He added that "in due course we would like to see this two-year visa extended to a 10-year multiple entry visa. That remains our aspiration and we will work with our Chinese partners towards it,"

"在对中国公民颁发2年多次有效访客签证基础上，英方适时向中方公民颁发10年多次有效签证。这是我们的愿望，我们将和中国政府共同努力来一起实现。"

There are also plans to extend the UK's mobile fingerprinting service, which captures the biometrics needed for applications, from nine to 50 Chinese cities.

全新的签证举措将会更加便利，英国计划将对签证申请采取指纹的服务，从9个城市扩张到50个中国城市。

The number of Chinese visitors has almost trebled over the last five years from 115,000 in 2009 to 336,000 in 2014 with each spending on average 2,688 pound every time they visit, the Foreign Office said.

外交部透露，最近五年，前往英国的中国游客已经翻了三番，从2009年11.5万人增长到2014年的33.6万人，人均消费为2688英镑。