欧盟简化中国游客申根签证流程

 　　Embassies and consulates¹ of EU countries in China are mostly in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

　　This means people hoping to get a visa for travelling to EU countries have to either travel a significant distance or pay travel agencies when applying for Schengen visas, which are good for any EU country.

　　Visiting Chinese Premier² Li Keqiang, in signing the agreement, says the new visa centers will be very helpful for Chinese tourists, business people and students studying abroad.

　　At the same time, Britain and Belgium are now unifying³ their visa application services.

　　This means Chinese travellers can get both their British and Schengen visas in just one trip.

　　欧盟简化中国游客申根签证流程

　　Qian Gang, Manager for the Greater China Region with the British Tourism Authority, says the new policy is very welcome for the UK.

　　"Chinese tourists are a valuable market for us. Chinese tourists rank first around the world in terms of overseas spending. On average, Chinese people spend 2500 pounds for a single visit to Britain."

　　Meanwhile, the German embassy has also expanded its visa office.

　　Business travellers to Germany are being promised visas within 48 hours.

　　"The German embassy has relaxed a lot its policies toward business visas. Rejection⁴ rates have decreased a lot. Before, you had to go to the embassy for interviews in order to get the visa. Now all you have to do is to submit the right documents."

　　Tourists trying to get to France, Spain and Italy are also being promised visas in just one or two days.

　　The French and Finnish embassies in Beijing are now sending their visas to successful applicants⁵ by express delivery.

　　Chen Fengying with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations says all of this comes as countries in Europe battle it out for Chinese money.

　　"European countries want to attract more Chinese tourists to stimulate⁶ their economies and create more jobs. Many European countries are facing high unemployment rates and large debts. Many need to urgently develop their economies. So as policies are relaxed, more Chinese consumers can enter their markets."

　　Chinese nationals made an estimated 120-million foreign visits last year.

　　That figure is expected to rise to 200-million by 2020.

1 consulates   

n.领事馆( consulate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Consulates General of The People's Republic at Los Angeles. 中华人民共和国驻洛杉矶总领事馆。 来自互联网
• The country's embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions stationed in other countries. （七）家驻外使馆、馆和其他外交代表机构。 来自互联网

2 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

3 unifying   

使联合( unify的现在分词 )； 使相同； 使一致； 统一

参考例句：

• In addition, there were certain religious bonds of a unifying kind. 此外，他们还有某种具有一种统一性质的宗教上的结合。
• There is a unifying theme, and that is the theme of information flow within biological systems. 我们可以用一个总的命题，把生物学系统内的信息流来作为这一研究主题。

4 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

5 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

6 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。