NEW YORK, Dec 03 (New York Times): The Trump administration Wednesday issued new rules to curtail travel to the United States by members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and their immediate families, a move certain to further exacerbate tensions between the countries.
The new policy, which took immediate effect, limits the maximum validity of travel visas for party members and their families to one month and a single entry, according to two people familiar with the matter.
A State Department spokesman said in an emailed statement it was reducing the validity of visas for party members from 10 years to one month.
Previously, party members, like other Chinese citizens, could obtain visitor visas for the United States of up to 10 years in duration. The new measures do not affect party members' eligibility for other kinds of visas, such as immigration, one of the people added.
In principle, the policy change could affect the travel of roughly 270 million people - China has about 92 million Communist Party members - although in practice, it might be difficult to determine who, apart from high-level officials, belongs to the party.
The new visa rules add to the now yearslong conflict between the countries on trade, technology and much else.
According to the people familiar with the rules, the new guidelines allow US officials to make a determination about someone's party status based on their visa application and interview, as well as officials' local understanding of Communist Party membership.
That could mean that the policy disproportionately hits China's top government and business leaders rather than the millions of lower-level members who join the party to get a leg up in areas as varied as business and the arts.
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