Chinese were welcome to visit and study in the United States, Donald M. Bishop, minister-counselor for Press and Cultural Affairs at the American Embassy in Beijing, said Monday.

Bishop published a signed article in Beijing media, denying earlier reports that the United States was tightening control on issuing visas to Chinese applying to visit and study in the country, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

He said all four US consulates in China had allocated special periods to deal with Chinese students' visa applications.

He admitted that the United States had taken new measures in granting visas for the safety of travelers and the country, but did not alter its basic criteria. Instead, US consulates were striving to make visa applications more convenient and speedy, he said.

The number of people granted study visas was actually on the increase, far exceeding the number rejected, he said.

(Shenzhen Daily November 24, 2004)