Two Sessions may give expats more GBA access: Expert
Improved access to the Greater Bay Area for expats and foreign nationals may be one of the take-aways from the annual plenary meetings of the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, known as the Two Sessions, which are getting underway in Beijing.  That's according to Professor Brian Wong from the University of Hong Kong's Centre on Contemporary China and the World.  "First and foremost I believe would be expediting and ensuring a more seamless integration for not just local Hong Kong nationals but also foreign expats and residents in Hong Kong into the GBA," said Professor Wong, who was being interviewed for RTHK's Hong Kong Today programme. "And the latter means the possibility of extending, in a more permanent and longer term, with longer renewal periods of visas to business travellers, to foreign visitors, and even just expats who live and reside in Hong Kong without qualifying for existing business visas. That to me is a pretty low-hanging fruit." Citizens of Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand are among those to have some form of visa-free access to China.