Fewer visas for Mecca doesn't affect Chinese

Although the Saudi Arabian government has issued 20 percent fewer visas to foreign Muslims to attend the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca this year, the number of Chinese pilgrims allowed into the holiest city of Islam remains unchanged, the vice-president of the China Islamic Association said.

"Currently, all 14,500 Chinese pilgrims from 27 provinces and regions are in Mecca preparing for the annual hajj," said Yang Zhibo, vice-president of the association, in Beijing.

Yang, who is in charge of organizing this year's pilgrimage, said Saudi Arabia's decision to issue fewer pilgrimage visas is because authorities want to control the number of people entering Mecca's Grand Mosque. A huge project is underway to expand the area surrounding the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure at the center of the mosque that plays a major role in the hajj.