No fewer than 656 visas were issued to Chinese citizens by July this year when the country also handed out 104 business visas, the Maltese Chinese Chamber of Commerce said its officials was told by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg.

It said that, since its formation, it had been besieged by complaints that since Malta joined the Schengen area, Chinese students , businessmen and tourists were finding it more difficult to be given a visa to enter the island.

Schools teaching English to foreigners, businessmen and travel agents complained that the government visa central unit, the Maltese Embassy in Beijing and the police were being too strict and bureaucratic when dealing with visa applications by Chinese citizens, the Chamber said. Thus, it asked for a meeting with Dr Borg.

The minister, it said, explained that such complaints stemmed more from a wrong perception rather than the truth.

He informed the delegation at the meeting that only 95 Chinese citizens, including students, had been refused a visa. Only nine business visa applications were refused, the Chamber said.

He also asked the Chamber officials to inform him of cases when a decision by the visa central unit or the Maltese Embassy in China to refuse a visa was deemed to be unreasonable.

The delegation was led by the Chamber’s chairman, Maurice Mizzi and included secretary general Reno Calleja and council member Michael Tanti Dougal.