外交部人士辟谣:赴美十年签证并非作废

A Foreign Ministry official in charge of consular affairs said that the China-US long-term visa facilitation arrangement "has not been nullified and will continue to be valid". The official made the comment when dismissing online speculation that the China-US agreement on 10-year visas was nullified.

一名负责领事事务的外交部官员近日表示，中国赴美国的长期签证“尚未撤销，将继续有效”。该官员还就网上热炒的猜测取消“十年美签”做出了答复。

Massive online discussions were triggered after the US Customs and Border Protection agency said Chinese travelers will be required later this year to complete an Electronic Visa Update System to gain entry to the US if they have a 10-year visa.

美国海关与边境保护局曾表示，如果中国游客拥有“十年美签”，则需要在“签证更新电子系统”上登记一次信息才能去往美国。在此消息发出之后，在网上引发了热议。

According to a March 4 release by the official website of the ministry, the official said the recent measure adopted by the US "does not require another visa application, it makes no difference to the visas' term of validity, and the relevant visa holders are not required to go to US embassies or consulates".

跟据外交部官方网站3月4日发布的消息，该官员表示：“根据美国新政策，游客并不需要申请其他签证，有效期没有任何变化，相关的签证持有人 也不需要去往美国大使馆或领事馆。”

Countries also consider safeguarding national security when offering visa facilitation, and individuals of countries enjoying US visa exemption are also required to fill in similar forms before their admission to the US, the official noted. The Chinese side will follow the principle of reciprocity and "make according arrangements at an appropriate timing", he said.

该官员指出，在提供签证便利的同时，各国也在考虑维护国家安全。享受赴美免签的个人也需要填写类似的表格才能获得准入许可。中方将遵循互惠的原则，在适当的时机做出相应的安排。

Technically speaking, the timely update of information "will be conducive to making the visa arrangement closer to perfection and sustainability", he added.

此外，他还补充说道，从技术上讲，信息的及时更新将使签证安排更臻完美，也更具备可持续性。

As the China-US Year of Tourism has started, the cultural exchanges will be expanded between China and the US.

随着中美旅游年即将拉开帷幕，中美之间的文化交流也将不断扩大。