New visa centers to ease Chinese visits to Europe

The European Union will set up visa centers in 15 Chinese cities that do not have embassies or consulates for EU member nations, a move expected to attract a large number of tourists from second-tier cities.

Embassies and consulates of EU countries in China are mainly located in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Several major European nations have opened consulates in a limited number of second-tier cities such as Shenyang, Wuhan and Chengdu. Still, residents of other cities have to travel far away or pay travel agencies to apply for Schengen visas, which are good for any EU country. The 15 cities have not yet been announced.