Getting a visa to go through China can be a little confusing. China has a number of different types of visas. You will want to make sure that you apply for the right one, so that you can plan your visit with success. Have a precise idea of where it is you are going to visit. If you plan to go to Hong Kong or Macau, you won’t have to apply for a visa.

China has about four different types of visas. A tourist visa is the most regular. A tourist visa is the best option if you plan on going to China for a get-away. A tourist visa will be valid for 30 days, and will help you to come to China’s mainland twice. For instance, if you plan to travel to Hong Kong and then return to the China mainland, that will be considered twice. When trying to get this visa, you will make note that your vacation is for pleasure purposes only.

China visas for meetings are also very common. These travels may entail production work, company meetings, and research. This visa will also be valid for up to 30 days. The difference with a business visa is that you can travel with this visa for six months. This means you can visit as often as you need to for up to 30-day periods. It can be a little more difficult than a tourist document to acquire. You must show proof of an invitation from an affiliated Chinese business. This visa is not to be confused with a work one.

For longer-term stays you can apply for work, student, or journalism visas. You must be employed to be in China with a work visa. If you are taking an internship or attending a school, you will need a student visa. This is also a 6 month visa, but it can be extended. A journalist visa is best for a reporter or journalist. This visa will allow you to work in China for as long as your work assignment goes on.

Apply for your Chinese documents as soon as you can. Acquiring a visa can sometimes take forever. Be prepared with your US passports and any other documents you might need when you turn in your application. There are two different options to receiving a visa. If you live near a Chinese Consulate, you can walk in with your US passports and apply. You also have the option to apply online. The application online is explained to you in full detail.

With a population of around 1.33 billion, its not difficult to see why astute marketers are turning their focus there. With such a huge target audience, there is room for businesses of all sizes to grab some of the action, and if they do it right, pull in huge financial rewards.

It is by no means necessary to be based in China in order to reach and profit from the Chinese market. With Internet and superior technology, buying and selling online are two activities that are literally at anyone’s fingertips. In recent years, China not only opened its doors to foreign merchants but also allowed its nationals, albeit reluctantly, to get on the information superhighway.

It is undeniable that e-commerce has flourished because the Internet has made trading across continents faster and cheaper.

In China, industry watchers are expecting an Internet boom to happen any time soon because of the observation that more Chinese prefer to spend their free time surfing the Internet rather than watching TV.

The China Internet Association said that there are 137 million “netizens” (net citizens) in China. Out of that big number, they say that 2 out of 3 Chinese Internet surfers may be expected to purchase something online. Thus, Internet businesses are looking at breaking into China for greener pastures.

As with any regular business plan, if you want to start an e-business with the Chinese, you should be able to study your market first. There are a few things that you or any electronic retailer may find useful to know such as the following:

Online consumer make up. Based on statistics, Internet users in mainland China are most likely to be:

* young people, or those under 40 years old;

* purchasing books, computer devices and accessories; and

* average or high income earners.

Online retailer’s problems. While selling to China online is easy, e-commerce still faces some problems, such as:

Lack of secure and trusted payment systems

With credit card fraud on the rise, Chinese buyers are not comfortable with giving their credit card information online, and prefer to pay for their purchases on a cash-on-delivery basis or through post office transfers.

The Chinese government is wary of the Internet and of its possible influence on the Chinese culture. While Chinese nationals are allowed to go online, much of the content that they are able to access have been subjected to censorship. The first to go were anti-government blogs. What constitutes objectionable material to the Chinese authorities is not clear but websites with pornography and smut were definitely taken down.

Foreign websites and cybercafés have been placed under the watchful eye of the authorities for possible violations of the strict censorship rules. This has led to the closure of some 1,600 cybercafés nationwide, which have been believed to be instruments of undesirable Western influence.

Very recently even the mighty Google capitulated to the Chinese government’s insistence on censoring search results. Rather than risking the government’s disapproval, Google has also reportedly blocked some of its usual applications from Chinese access.