A Blog About Hong Kong and Mainland China

Since the strict visa policy imposed by China to limit number of visitors for the security of Beijing Olympics, the question of when the normal visa policy will be resumed is raised by people interested in visiting the country or who have business connection with the country. Here’s the news from Hong Kong Chinese newspaper Mingpao,which said on 23 August that, reportedly, the normal visa application process will be resumed, at the earliest, in September.

So if you are expecting a speedy recovery of the normal China visa policy after the Olympics closes on 24 August, you may need to lower your expectation.

In the same report, Mingpao said that Hong Kong’s visitor number has been dropping since last June, with August’s drop expected to reach 10%. This is because under China’s strict visa policy, fewer foreigners are visiting China, who would have visited Hong Kong in the same trip.

In major China cities such as Guangzhou and Hangzhou, taxis are equipped with fare meters and machines to print receipts. Ask for a print receipt when you leave the taxi, which usually shows the taxi fare, the taxi number and the license number of the taxi driver.  This receipt would be useful if you suspect that you are ripped off and want to lodge a complaint.

Nowadays, because of the rise in fuel price, many cities allow for taxi fuel sub-charge ranging from RMB0.5-1.0 per journey. Say Guangzhou, which imposes on passengers a fuel sub-charge of RMB1 per taxi journey. So do not be surprised if you are asked to pay RMB1 more on top of the charge shown by the taxi meter.

Let me introduce two properties that are located relatively far from the city centre, but yet are in rather nice seaside or countryside living environment, with shuttle bus service or connection to the public transport.

If you don’t mind the distance and want to live in the countryside like environment, they may be your choice.

These two properties are run by two of Hong Kong’s main property developers, Sino Group and Hong Kong’s tycoon Li Ka Shing’s Hutchison and Cheung Kong Groups.

Gold Coast Serviced Apartments, at Gold Coast, New Territories

These apartments have sea view, and require a minimum of one month stay, from HKD16000 per apartment.  Nearby is a beach.

It provides shuttle bus service to different points in the city centre, and takes about 30 minutes to reach Central on the Hong Kong island.

Harbour Plaza Resort City in Tin Shui Wei, New Territories

Tin Shui Wei area is known in Hong Kong for frequent occurrence of family tragedies where the poor families do not get enough support from the Government. So this “resort city” is inherently not really belonging to the area’s landscape. The place is a bit far from the city centre, but it is on the railway line, at the Tin Shui Wei Station of the Hong Kong MTR station. Travel time from Tin Shui Wei to, say Central, is 44 minutes by train. Monthly rental of the apartment is from HK$5900.

The covenient and also most expensive way is：If you leave from Hong Kong, take the Hong Kong (Hung Hom train stration) – Guangzhou (Guangzhou East train station) through train. When you arrive at the Guangzhou East train station, you head for Tian He Da Sha (天河大廈) on Ti Yu Xi Lu (体育西路 - “Ti Yu” means sports, “Xi Lu” means literally West Road). It would be a 15- minute walk, or a RMB7 taxi ride without the taxi meter jumping to the next reading. From Tian He Da Sha, you can take the Airport Express Route 6 to the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

The first bus departs from Tian He Da Sha at 5:30, and the last one at 21:00. The whole journey is about 1 hour.

The first bus departs from Guangzhou Airport at 7:05, and the last one at 0:10.

One-way bus fare is about RMB20, which will be collected by uniformed staff on the bus. Bus service on this route is every 20 minutes.

According to the South China Morning Post report today (24 July), five Olympic cities in China - Shanghai, Beijing, Qingdao, Shengyang and Qinhuangdao - have stopped issuing invitation letters, which are necessary for a foreigner to get a China business visa.

This is confirmed by the local authorities of all five cities. The Shanghai authority was quoted as saying that the only exemptions would be given to work-visa applicants and those who need to go to Shanghai in “emergencies”.

The only other Olympic city that denies that such a restriction is in place is Tianjin, where preliminary soccer matches will be played.

The lack of transparency in Chinese policy is once again demonstrated in this case. A Beijing official admitted that Beijing has had such a restriction in place for two weeks, but thus far without any public announcement.

Thus, do expect that China visa applications will not get back to it normal course until Sept 20, when the Olympics is over.

Since last week, the Beijing authority has been placing bikes in more than 100 hotels for the free use of tourists. It is intended that a total of 10,000 bikes will be placed in these hotels, with each hotel getting an average of 20 bikes.

This new measure is obviously for welcoming in Olympics. However, the good news is that the bikes will still be kept in the hotels for tourists’ free use, even after the Olympics. So ask about free bikes if you stay in a Beijing hotel. You may stand a chance to get one.

A special report conducted by Li & Fung Research Centre, and Secretariat of the Expert Committee of China General Chamber of Commerce, highlights the following. Maybe it is helpful to those wanting to do , or doing business in China.

1. An ever-growing retail sector – retail sales rising at the fastest pace in a decade

2. Growing concerns about the food industry among government authorities and consumers

3. Mergers and acquisitions, company restructuring and public listings rapidly transforming the commercial landscape in China

4. Foreign commercial enterprises looking for new growth paths in China

5. Rural commercial infrastructure development achieving impressive progress

6. Development of commercial businesses in residential communities gaining momentum

7. Industry organizations playing a bigger role in the economy

8. Commercial property market facing both opportunities and challenges

9. From sheer scale expansion to building a critical mass – retail businesses striving to increase overall competitiveness

10. The landmark Anti-monopoly Law – paving the way towards a more regulated commercial sector