He told me that all the foreign researchers always apply for their own
visa. Our International Office was never involved in the application of
visa in the Netherlands. The foreign Embassy or Consulate accepts the
Invitation Letter as proof of the involvement of the Groningen
University in the application. We have this experience in relation to
China / Shanghai as well.
I suggest that you talk to the visa officer again with this extra
information. If this helps, we can send the Invitation Letter by fax
directly to the Shanghai Consulate. Lets hope that they can speed up the
procedure. Please keep me informed on your progress regarding the
application of the visa.