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| The flags of the United States and China fly from a lamppost in the Chinatown neighbourhood of Boston, Massachusetts, US, Nov 1, 2021. (File photo by= REUTERS/Brian Snyder) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] WASHINGTON: China will reduce the time needed for approval of travel by US business executives to no more than 10 days, China's ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, said on Thursday (Dec 2), promising to turn "an attentive ear" to concerns raised by US businesses, Reuters reported.
Qin, who arrived in the United States in July, told a dinner hosted by the US-China Business Council that Beijing would also work to make COVID-19 testing more convenient and allow executives to work during quarantine. Qin said Beijing was implementing Chinese President Xi Jinping's direction on upgrading "fast track" arrangements for travel, a response to US concerns about resumption of business travel to China. "With the upgraded arrangement, the time needed for travel approval will be shorter, no more than 10 working days," he said. Qin said Beijing would share its specific Workplan "very soon" with the US Centers for Disease Control.
He said Beijing was committed to implementing the spirit of the recent virtual summit between Xi and US President Joe Biden and injecting "more positive energy into our relations". Qin called for strengthened cooperation in manufacturing, financial services and the energy sector. He also repeated Beijing's call for Washington to abolish additional tariffs imposed on Chinese goods by the administration of former President Donald Trump.
