China lifts restrictions on Fujian residents traveling to Kinmen

Taipei, Sept. 27 (CNA) China has lifted restrictions on group and independent travel to the Taiwan-held Kinmen Islands for residents of Fujian province, the Exit-Entry Administration Bureau under the Fujian Provincial Department of Public Security announced Friday.

In the announcement, the bureau said it has resumed processing exit permit applications for those traveling to Kinmen starting Friday.

Fujian residents and holders of Fujian residence permits can apply for a single-entry personal or group travel permit to the Kinmen Islands, with the permit, valid for six months, annotated for direct travel to and from Kinmen via the "mini-three links" ferry services through Wutong and Shihjing ports in Fujian, according to the announcement.

The announcement came following a familiarization tour by travel industry representatives from Xiamen to Kinmen on Sept. 18, the first group tour since COVID-19 on Sept. 22, and the first independent travelers since the pandemic on Sept. 25.

China halted independent travel to Taiwan on Aug. 1, 2019, citing the poor state of cross-strait relations. It then suspended group travel to other countries in early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Under current Taiwan entry policies, Chinese visitors to Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu can stay for up to 15 days.

On Aug. 22, China lifted restrictions on group and independent travel to the Matsu Islands for Fujian residents.

According to guidelines issued by Taiwan's National Immigration Agency in May 2022, Chinese citizens holding valid travel documents issued by mainland authorities must entrust a travel agency in Kinmen, Matsu, or Penghu to submit their applications to the agency.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Friday that, due to the low number of applications by Fujian residents traveling to Kinmen and Matsu, these will still be handled as special case reviews. The MAC will reassess the situation once the number of applications reaches a certain level.

MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said at a routine news briefing on Thursday that the growth in the number of Fujian residents traveling to Kinmen and Matsu has been slow, with the current figures significantly lower than those before the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Wednesday, the number of Fujian residents who entered Matsu for tourism was 111, while the number for Kinmen was 48, Liang added.