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China said on Monday that India is aware of its stance on a long-running border row, rebuffing Indian concerns over its decision to give separate visas to people living in areas disputed by the two sides.

Beijing International Airport

India’s foreign ministry said last week it had seen reports that an Indian athlete and his coach from the remote northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, on the Chinese border, were issued visas on papers stapled to their passports.

Chinese visas are normally stamped into Indian passports.

“China’s stance on the Sino-Indian border problem and the disputed territory in the eastern part has consistently been clear, and India is aware of it too,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement faxed to Reuters in response to a question about the visa issue.

“This stance has not changed.”

China and India still claim vast swathes of each other’s territories along their 3,500 km (2,173 mile) Himalayan border — an issue that remains the biggest single impediment to better relations between the two Asian giants.

India’s Foreign Ministry said last week they had asked the Chinese to follow a “uniform practice on issuance of visas to Indian nationals” regardless of where in India they live.

In 2009, China began issuing stapled visas to residents of Indian-administered Kashmir, angering Indian politicians who interpreted the move as a sign of Chinese interference to discredit Indian sovereignty over the disputed region.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited India in an effusive display of warmth in December but failed to lift the veil of suspicion between the two nations stemming from their unresolved border dispute and China’s close ties with Pakistan.

Collected by Vietnam visa on arrival

Chile may soon join 36 countries in the US Visa Waiver Program, becoming the first South American country to do so.

Chile may soon enter the US Visa Waiver Program if the country can meet requirements.

The program which enables foreigner travellers to enter the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands for up to 90 days using only the online ESTA system, rather than the more lengthy US Tourist Visa process.

Currently, Chileans must have an interview with a US consular official at the US Embassy in Santiago and the wait for such an interview can take up to two months. In contrast the ESTA can be applied for online and is approved for the majority within 72 hours.

Entering the US Visa Waiver Program requires Chile meets a number of standards, including a low level of visa refusals and strong passport and identity checks.

Arturo Fermandois, the Chilean ambassador to Washington, said Chile would also have to share information on criminals and terrorists within its borders.

However, a major barrier to the inclusion of Chile into the US Visa Waiver program is the level of US Visa refusals. The US requires a country have a less than 3 per cent US Visa refusal rate before they can be included in the program.

While Chile’s rate has fallen considerably from 9 per cent in 2008 to 5.9 per cent in 2009, and 5 per cent last year, it still may be another two years before the country will reach 2.9 per cent refusal rate.

Ambassador Fermandois has said he hopes to achieve this goal “with a public information campaign . . . that creates awareness of the responsibility involved in asking for a visa.”

More about apply Vietnam visa on arrival for U.S citizens and Vietnam visa requirements for U.S citizens.

The tourism bureau says that Taiwanese tourism to Europe is set to increase. That’s as the EU visa-waiver program for Republic of China (ROC) nationals went into effect on Tuesday. ROC is the official name of Taiwan.

The new Schengen visa-waver allows Taiwanese to travel to 35 countries visa-free, bringing Taiwan’s visa-free travel to 97 countries. Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang said Tuesday that ROC passports are quite valuable. “Our Republic of China passport is greatly valued internationally. In other words, it’s worth a lot of money. So it can easily be taken, used, or stolen by others,” said Yang. “So, for our security and credibility, we ask citizens to personally apply for their passports. I hope citizens will understand, even if it is a little inconvenient. But this is for our goal of being able to enter more countries visa-free. The US has asked us to personally apply, and other countries have as well.”

The ministry said that the Schengen member countries have already been informed to admit ROC passport holders without visas. But ROC’s local representative offices are also ready to assist if nationals have any trouble entering those countries.

The ministry now is working on receiving visa-free entry to the US, Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and other countries.

If you are interested in visa to Vietnam, contact Vietnam visa online for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you.

As many as 6,549 tourists from five countries visited India in 2010 by availing the visa on arrival scheme, the tourism ministry said Friday.

The visa on arrival scheme was introduced Jan 1, 2010 for citizens of five countries – Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore.

According to a ministry statement, 1,944 tourists from New Zealand, 1,814 from Singapore, 1,457 from Japan, 1,263 from Finland and 71 from Luxembourg availed this scheme.

In December alone, 905 such visas were issued. The country-wise break up was New Zealand (340), Japan (216), Singapore (191), Finland (140) and Luxembourg (18).

The maximum number of such visas was issued at the Delhi airport – 3,493. This was followed by Mumbai – 1,511, Chennai – 1,211 and Kolkata — 334.

Last month, the home ministry announced that tourists from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and the Philippines can also avail the visa scheme from Jan 1, 2011.

The visa will be allowed for a maximum validity of 30 days with single entry facility by immigration officers at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata airports on payment of a $60 fee or equivalent amount in Indian rupees per passenger – including children.

Source: South Asia Mail

Tip: Need Vietnam visa on arrival, please visit http://www.vietnam-visa.com

Tourists from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and the Philippines will be provided tourist visa on arrival from Jan 1, 2011, home ministry officials said Thursday.

The visa shall be allowed for a maximum validity of 30 days with single entry facility by immigration officers at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata Airports on payment of a $60 fee or equivalent amount in Indian rupees per passenger – including children.

The visa on arrival shall be allowed for a maximum of two times in a calendar year to a foreigner with a minimum gap of two months. It is non-extendable and non-convertible.

The foreigners from these countries may also avail of visa on arrival for up to 30 days for medical treatment, for casual business or to visit friends/relatives.

The facility shall not be applicable to the holders of diplomatic/official passports. It shall not be granted to the foreigners who have permanent residence or occupation in India and they can visit India on normal visa.

Source: Calcutta Tube

The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry said that Vietnam regrets the Swedish government’s decision to close its embassy in Hanoi next year but Vietnam hopes that the two countries will continue strengthening bilateral cooperation.

On December 22, the Swedish government announced that during 2011 due to recent budget cuts,  it would close five embassies around the world,  in Hanoi, Buenos Aires (Argentina), Brussels (Belgium), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Luanda (Angola).

“This painful decision is a consequence of the recent decision of the Riksdag to cut funding to the Government Offices by SEK 300 million (over $43 million),” said Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt on www.sweden.gov.se.

According to newswire http://www.swedishwire.com, last year the Swedish government decided to close its embassy in Colombo and the consulates-general in Kaliningrad, Canton, Los Angeles and New York.

The website of the Swedish Embassy in Hanoi on December 23 posted the above announcement and the Swedish Ambassador’s message which confirmed that Sweden will try its best to maintain and develop its 40-year cooperative relationship with Vietnam.

The spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nguyen Phuong Nga, on December 23 said that the Vietnamese government regrets the Swedish government’s decision to close down its embassy in Hanoi and other countries due to budget difficulties and Vietnam would create favorable conditions for Sweden to re-open the embassy.

The Vietnamese government always attaches great importance to the traditional and friendly relation between the two countries, she said.

“We hope that both sides will continue to boost bilateral cooperation in the future through appropriate measures and forms to meet the two countries’ aspirations and benefits,” she stressed.

The same day, Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Staffan Herrström told VietNamNet that the decision to close down the Swedish Embassy in Vietnam will not influence the bilateral relations between Vietnam and Sweden.

He said that the embassy will still grant visas until the time the embassy closes down in 2011.

He said that the people who want to visit Sweden can apply for visa through the countries in Shengen block.

Sweden will grant visas through a representative country, perhaps in Northern Europe.

Source: VNN