Hooray! This is obviously great news for China travelers (best visa news I've gotten since Chile and the USA eliminated visas entirely earlier this year!).

But a couple of practical concerns. First, I assume the current short term transit visa waiver scheme will still apply, right? Like I can nip into PEK for a couple days visa free on my way home to the USA from a third country? I won't really care about that in the future, but since I'm "nipping in" in 2 months and don't currently have a valid Chinese visa, I care! BTW, I've done this a lot lately because I didn't want to pay $160 for a, say, 5 day visit to China (and the attendant hassle of getting the visa). This new rule will certainly encourage me to visit China more often and stay longer.

Second, would the 10-year visa be for the life of the passport, or would it extend to a new passport? The rules have worked differently in South America. For example, in Argentina, your 10-year visa transfers to a new passport. In Chile -- before they eliminated the visa requirement -- it did not. If it doesn't transfer (which I sadly fear could be the case), it would pay for most frequent American travelers to China to get a brand spanking new passport before shelling out the $160 for the visa. This would be annoying to do, but practical -- especially if you have only a few years left on your passport.