Visa Racism?

Visa racism?

I wonder if the relevant authority would care to comment on a situation I consider to be terribly unfair. My brother, an American on holiday in Hong Kong, and myself, also American but a Hong Kong permanent resident, were both charged HK$1,200 for visas to the mainland. Why, as a permanent resident, am I charged the same as a non-resident? Furthermore, why am I not allowed the same privileges as my wife, who is local Chinese? Is it a case of racism? I hope not, but I cannot understand the differences. Hopefully someone can explain what the logic is.

Terry Scott, Sha Tin

I paid about the same amount of money for a China visa. Of course, my visa was for three years and multiple entries.

How did I get this? I am not cursed with an American passport, or with citizenship of a country which feels free to invade other countries for little more reason than to channel government money to the military and military suppliers.

China apparently increases the visa price to reflect the perceived quality of the diplomatic relationship between the country whose passport you hold and China. Plus, they normally figure that they can squeeze the Septic Tanks for some extra moolah, as many of them seem to be making huge amounts of money from China.

Unfair rules

I refer to the letter from Terry Scott ("Visa racism?", January 16) regarding the charges for mainland visas.

Of course this is a case of racism, but Mr Scott may get some satisfaction knowing that at least his children, should they ever apply for similar visas, will be charged the "local" rate as they will be able to hold Hong Kong passports by virtue of their ethnicity.

My children, despite being born in Hong Kong to parents with permanent residency, have no trace of Chinese ethnicity and will therefore forever be deemed foreigners and charged as such.

A. Cable, Cheung Chau

Yet more misinformation.

Ethnically Chinese children don't need Hong Kong passports to qualify for Home Return Permits. My two kids hold both Irish passports and Home Return Permits, but have no Hong Kong Passports.

Nor would they want HK passports - that's little more than a second class citizen passport. It was that under the British rule, and it's even more so now under Chinese rule, as the hair-dye brigade in ZhongNanHai regard anyone who lived under British rule and doesn't completely reject that historical period as a traitor.