CRI听力:First Ten-year Visa to Grant to Americans Travelling to China

US Hands Out New 10-year Visas to Chinese Citizens 

Edmund Downie, a researcher at Yale University, has become the first American citizen to recieve a Chinese visa valid for ten years.

"That's really exciting. It really makes things simpler, and I think it's a really good start for good cooperation between the two countries to have this kind of visa arrangements."

In making the new visa agreements, both the Chinese and US sides say they expect the longer-term visas will help make life easier for business leaders and academics who frequently travel between the two countries.

Dr. Li Cheng is the director of the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings Institute in Washington.

He says the move is also symbolic of the development for Sino-US relations.

"This is not just educational cultural exchange or economic exchange. This reflects good wills of both countries towards each other. The people-to-people relation is the very foundation for the bilateral relationship."

Marc Ross with the US-China Business Council echo's Dr. Li's suggestion.

"Obviously the summit between Presidents Obama and Xi that just concluded really shows clearly what high-level engagement can do to move the US-China relationship forward in a positive fashion."

Marc Ross has also spoken highly about the achievements made in the fields of economic and trade coming out of the meetings this week.

In addition to the new visa changes, the two sides have also agreed to accelerate bilateral investment treaty negotiations and have achieved a breakthrough in trying move forward on a global Information Technology Agreement.

There has also been a lot of buzz in Washington about the new climate accord China and the US have reached.

Former US vice-President Al Gore, a leading advocate for limiting climate change, has described the announcement "a major step forward in the global effort to solve the climate crisis."

Dr. Li Cheng with Brookings says the climate change accord is yet another sign that China and US are willingly to work together on global issues.

"I think the two largest economies in the world both willing and committed to deal with this problem in a serious way. This itself is a remarkable achievement. But most importantly, I think both presidents understand that the two countries really should work together."

For CRI, I'm He Fei in Washington.