A Web site that’s apparently the first to broadly discuss Latvia in the Chinese language has been established by the Latvian Embassy in the People’s Republic of China, President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga’s press office has announced.

The site was unveiled as the president continued her state visit to China.

The site, the content of which also is available in English, discusses Latvia’s diplomatic, trade and cultural relationships with China and provides consular information for those interested in traveling to Latvia.

The site may be viewed at www.latvianembassy.org.cn.

Latvian soldiers in southern Iraq have come under fire twice in the past week, but no casualties have been reported, according to official and media sources.

A motorized Latvian patrol came under fire early in the morning of April 7 as the soldiers returned to their base at Al Hillah from patrolling near Kifla. The soldiers returned fire and retreated to their base, a report posted on the National Armed Forces Web site said.

In a telephone conversation from Iraq with Defense Minister Atis Slakteris, Lt. Col. Igors Rajevs said the situation had stabilized, according to the report.

But Latvian soldiers again came under fire April 11 and again returned fire as they retreated to their base, the news agency LETA reported.

More than 100 Latvian soldiers are serving in Iraq, attached to a multinational division commanded by Poland and based at Al Hillah. Latvian soldiers also are serving in foreign missions in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Georgia and Kosovo, according to the Ministry of Defense.

The United States should enact a visa-free policy for citizens of Latvia, or at least decrease the application fee, Latvian Interior Minister Ēriks Jēkabsons told American officials in an April 4 meeting in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. State Department will review its policy, according to a press release posted on the Interior Ministry’s Web site.

Latvian citizens seeking nonimmigrant visas, such as tourists or students, currently pay a nonrefundable processing fee of USD 100, according to the U.S. Embassy in Rīga. In addition, they undergo a visa interview. Meanwhile, U.S. citizens visiting Latvia only have to present their passport and have proof of traveler’s medical insurance.

Latvian citizens seeking to permanently immigrate to the United States pay a USD 335 processing fee and have to travel to the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, to apply.

According to 2002 statistics, the latest available, a total of 10,773 nonimmigrants from Latvia were admitted to the United States. Of those, 4,096 were visiting the United States for pleasure.