The British Embassy in China opened a visa center in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Wednesday, the United Kingdom's second visa center in the Chinese mainland.

Tim Summers, consul-general of UK's Chongqing Consulate, said the Chongqing center will receive applications from Chongqing and the neighboring provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou, and relevant interviews can also be held at UK's Chongqing Consulate.

According to Summers, UK plans to establish a nationwide visa application network in the Chinese mainland by setting up 12 visa centers in major Chinese cities including Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Nanjing.

The first UK visa center opened in Beijing last month.

Summers said that when the centers open, Chinese applicants can choose the nearest one and will not necessarily need to go to Beijing for a visa and interview.

(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2005)