[Venue-selection] Re: Beijing and Shenzhen

[Rob Sayre <[e-mail]>]

On Sat, Jul 20, 2024 at 2:48 PM Dhruv Dhody <[e-mail]> wrote:

> Hi Rob,
>
> On Thu, Jul 18, 2024 at 1:27 PM Rob Sayre <[e-mail]> wrote:
>
>> Dhruv Dhody <[e-mail]> wrote:
>> > In all my travels, I have not faced any issue while travelling in and
>> out of China.
>>
>> From a USA perspective, it's not too tough, but it requires a lot of
>> preparation. There are lots of procedural issues. It starts at small things
>> like the ID photos being a different size. Never had a problem once there,
>> but getting in can be difficult in the sense that you're not sure what's
>> required.
>>
>>
> This could be a case of -- those who require to apply for visas are just
> used to paperwork and just figuring it out. I have shared tips within the
> local IETF group for instance.
>
> It is not uncommon for us to be asked to provide IT returns for the last 3
> years, attested bank statements for 6 months, a letter of support from my
> employer, travel history, and on and on with our Visa applications.
>

I don't think the process is unjust, and I've been to 60-70 countries.
That's just a tricky one from an American perspective. To be clear: it's
just that there's a lot of friction there, not that anyone is right or
wrong. I lived 2 blocks from the Chinese consulate for many years, and I
found it tough. I think if you speak Mandarin or Cantonese, it's easier.
It's true that some countries have passports that are hassle-free most of
the time, but that one is really kind of tough in an IETF context. There's
really no benefit instead of having it in Bangkok, Singapore, Saigon,
Tokyo, etc ...it's just a lot harder for at least 50% of participants. But
I thought China was quite well-run once I got there, no issue there.

thanks,
Rob