Beijing, which has banned independent Chinese tourists from Taiwan since August 2019 and group travel since 2020, has shown no intention to resume cross-strait travel. Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said that Taiwan and China must mutually show goodwill before normal cross-strait tourism could resume. The regulations on cross-strait group travel should also be negotiated through existing channels, such as the tourism associations in Taiwan and China, to ensure that cross-strait travel is reinstated reciprocally. Taiwan welcomes tourism exchanges with all nations, including China, but communication should be both ways. The government should be wary of an inappropriate reopening of travel across the Strait, which would worsen the tourism deficit, and sabotage the tourism market and quality in Taiwan.

Source: Taipei Times August 23, 2023 03:40 UTC