We agreed that the restrictive visa regime begged for urgent change.
Mr Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, bemoaned America's restrictive visa policy, which is depriving financial firms of talent.
I, like all my colleagues, am deeply worried about the damage already being done by an absurdly restrictive visa regime.
The other is how to smooth the tangled, restrictive visa system that currently prevents American businesses from hiring foreigners they'd like to recruit, as well as creating absurd travel complications for many Americans with non-citizen spouses and relatives.
The Spanish foreign minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, said in a visit to Moscow that Spain, which holds the rotating European Union presidency, would use its position to push for a less restrictive visa policy.
But the barriers of increasingly restrictive visa regulations and high cost mean that, in reality, physically attending a course in the UK is becoming increasingly difficult for many overseas students.
The remarks by the ambassador, who highlighted a series of missed opportunities by Britain, ranging from the failure to build a third runway at Heathrow to an overly restrictive visa regime, show the delicate challenge in managing diplomatic relations with China.
And we risk losing top talent to other nations if we don't loosen our restrictive visa laws.
Restrictive visa rules imposed with more of a nod to politics than practicality need revamping, and business regulations are too numerous and too restrictive.
According to He, the increase in travel is driven by a growing middle class, less restrictive visa policies for Chinese tourists (including the U.S.-China joint 10-year visa policy announced at last fall's APEC), the growing number of air routes from China to overseas destinations, and regulations designed to improve the quality of travel services to protect consumers.
