China clamps down on business visas

Government officials confirmed Thursday that visas for business people will be tougher to get during the Olympic period. Authorities have repeatedly said the security measures are needed because the games, which begin in two weeks, are a target for terrorism.

In a report that appeared to underscore the threat, the official Xinhua News Agency said police in co-host city Shanghai said Thursday they had cracked a terrorist plot targeting the city's soccer stadium.

However, authorities did not give any details or say how serious the threat had been.

"We have staged raids and cracked a group of terrorists," Cheng Jiulong, head of Olympic security in Shanghai, was quoted as saying. He refused to say when the plot was detected, how many suspects were detained or where they were from.

Shanghai will host a dozen soccer matches during the Olympics.

Shanghai's Olympic venue, athlete housing and routes to the venue were safe, Cheng was cited as saying, but added: "The threat of terror attack still exists."

China's Olympic security concerns were not just confined to terrorist threats. Authorities have also taken no chances with potential protesters. Rural petitioners in the Chinese capital seeking redress for grievances have been taken away in police vans, and some migrant workers have been ordered to go home.

China has also stiffened its visa rules to keep out foreign activists and foreigners not properly employed in Beijing, fearing they could stage protests during an Olympics meant to present a flawless image of a modern China.

Now, Beijing, Shanghai and other Olympic cities have stopped issuing official invitation letters needed for business visas until late September, unless it involves employment or executing business contracts, an official with the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce said.