By Onyedika Agbedo
IN a move that that is intended to improve the quality of visa processing and make it easy for Nigerians intending to visit China, the Chinese embassy has opened a Visa Application Service Centre in Lagos.
The centre, which is located at Churchgate Building I, Afribank Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, was declared open on Thursday by the Consul General of China in Lagos, His Excellency, Mr Chao Xiaoliang.
The Consul General explained that with the opening of the centre, all ordinary passport holders wishing to visit China would have to apply for visas there.
Xiaoliang said: “For years, we have been trying to improve our service and make it more comfortable for visa applicants while waiting for their interviews or to submit applications. But we have limited resources and facilities to handle increased requirement for Chinese visas in Nigeria. So, we decided to entrust visa applications to Chinese Visa Application Service Centre, which is a commercial entity and independent of the Chinese embassy.
“The Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in Lagos opens today and from now on, all ordinary passport holders wishing to visit the People’s Republic of China are requested to apply for visas through the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre.
“But diplomats and official passport holders or applicants applying for Hong Kong/Macao Special Administrative Region visa/entry permits are to submit their applications directly to the Chinese embassy. We hope that with the opening of the centre, we will improve our services for applicants from all walks of life.”
Xiaoliang further noted that bilateral relations between Nigeria and China had resulted in increase in the number of visas issued to Nigerians by the Chinese embassy every year.
He added: “With the tremendous achievement of bilateral relation between these two great countries, the ties between China and Nigeria have been strengthened in trade, investment, infrastructure, culture, science and technology and others.
I have been working in Nigeria for more than a year and I have always felt at home; this is mostly because of the hospitality of Nigerians. Amity between people holds the key to sound relation between states.
Personal exchange is the foundation for such amity, and serves as the impetus for the comprehensive relations between the two countries.
I am happy to find that the personal exchange has also increased dramatically with the strengthened relations between the two countries.
The yearly number of Chinese visas issued to Nigerian citizens has also grown very rapidly in the past several years as a result of the increased personal exchange.”