UK chancellor and London mayor aiming to forge new business links with China

Britain announced on Monday that it was making it easier for Chinese visitors to apply for visas, following complaints from UK tourism businesses that the current system did not entice enough high-spending travellers from China. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced the changes to simplify and speed up applications, as he led a British trade delegation to China. In a speech to students at Peking University, Osborne said it was wrong for people in the West to feel threatened by China's economic growth. Osborne said it was his job to explain to the British people how sophisticated Chinese businesses are, particularly in the fields of technology and science. "One of my principal goals this week is not just to increase British investment in China, but to increase Chinese investment in Britain," he said. Osborne was joined on stage by the London Mayor Boris Johnson who was making his own separate visit to China. Johnson said the visa changes should make it easier for Chinese people to study in the UK. "London is the home to more Chinese students than any other city on earth, outside China obviously ... and I very much welcome what I am hearing from our government about trying to increase those numbers," he said. Chinese visitors heading to Europe frequently choose not to stop in Britain because they have to apply for a separate visa from much of the rest of Europe, which comes under the passport-free Schengen zone. The Treasury said the changes will reduce the need for Chinese visitors to the European Union to submit separate visa applications for Britain. Selected Chinese travel agents under a pilot scheme will be able to apply for British visas by submitting just the EU's Schengen visa form. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/9a820dbf8498342be39661bcef1c4686 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork