New China visa rules to hit business travel San Francisco business travelers wanting to go to China will face more time-consuming and rigorous visa requirements at least through the Olympics in August, a spokesman for the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco told the Business Times.

The new rules require companies to provide proof of hotel reservations, airline tickets, and specific contact information for the entity the American firm is doing business with, said Defa Tong, spokesman for the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco. In some cases, business travelers seeking visas will be required to go to the consulate for an interview.

Travisa, a business travel agent that helps secure visas for American companies, sent a letter April 15 to clients explaining the change. Recipients included Gene Schnair, managing partner for Skidmore Owings & Merrill's San Francisco office.

SOM designed the new U.S. Embassy in China as well as Beijing's China World Trade Center Tower and its employees frequently travel to China. The firm just last week signed a contract to design a 3 million-square-foot mixed-use development in Hang Hou.  ¶ 8:32 PM