STORY: Chinese embassy in Ghana opens visa application center
DATELINE: Aug. 11, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:58
LOCATION: Accra
CATEGORY: POLITICS
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of opening ceremony
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): LU KUN, Chinese ambassador to Ghana
3. various of participants
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MAVIS NKANSAH BOADU, Ghana's deputy minister for foreign affairs and regional integration 
STORYLINE:
 
The Chinese embassy in Ghana on Thursday inaugurated a China visa application center in Accra, the capital of Ghana, to foster easy traveling arrangements for Ghanaian travelers to China.
 
The embassy said the center, opened with the cooperation of the China Tourism Group Corporation Limited, would ensure quality service and timely processing of visa applications for Ghanaians.
 
At the inauguration ceremony, Lu Kun, the Chinese ambassador to Ghana, said the center became necessary due to the anticipated surge in the number of Ghanaians who would be interested in visiting China.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): LU KUN, Chinese ambassador to Ghana
"In light of this new situation and drawing on the common international practices, the China visa application center is now being opened in Accra. It aims to provide visa applicants with more convenient, high-quality, and efficient services. We believe it will greatly contribute to the development of bilateral personnel exchanges and China-Ghana relations. I'm convinced that this (the center) will open a new chapter in the people-to-people exchanges between our two countries."
 
Lu added that the economic and trade exchange between the two countries has been flourishing, with China remaining Ghana's biggest trading partner.
 
Mavis Nkansah Boadu, Ghana's deputy minister for foreign affairs and regional integration, welcomed the center, saying that the event marked a significant milestone in the bilateral relations between China and Ghana.
 
She said Ghana recognized the importance of strengthening its relations with China and fostering greater people-to-people exchanges, adding that the center would help enhance tourism, business ventures, academic collaborations, and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
 
She also announced that Ghana would reciprocate the laudable effort by the Chinese government to roll out new visa application systems with enhanced security features strengthened by a machine-readable visa hardware system.
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MAVIS NKANSAH BOADU, Ghana's deputy minister for foreign affairs and regional integration
"The center will play a critical role in facilitating increased tourism, business ventures, academic collaborations, and cultural exchanges between Ghana and China. It will also streamline the visa application process, making it more efficient and convenient for Ghanaian citizens and other nationals residing in Ghana who wish to travel to China."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Accra.
(XHTV)