Taiwan launches risk assessment hotlines for people traveling to China

Taipei, Dec. 2 (CNA) Taiwan's government has launched a new hotline to help people evaluate possible safety risks before they travel to mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Monday.

The hotline is being launched amid growing inquiries from Taiwanese people planning to travel to China, MAC said.

In a press release, it noted that the number of people who used its "Online Registration System for Taiwanese Citizens Visiting Mainland China" this year through Oct. 31 had increased 14-fold over the same period in 2023.

Registrations for people traveling to Hong Kong and Macau had also increased five times compared to the same period last year, the MAC said.

Taiwanese people traveling to China do not have to inform the Taiwanese government, but the system allows them to do so for safety reasons.

To assist people in using the online registration system, or to evaluate the potential safety risks of their planned travels, the MAC and the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) have jointly launched a new hotline service, available on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the MAC said.

To call the hotline, travelers to mainland China can use the MAC's hotline at 2397-5589 ex. 5011 or the SEF's hotline at 2175-7000 ex. 7033, while travelers to Hong Kong or Macau can contact the MAC at 2397-5589 ex. 6015, the press release said.

This new service is being launched after Beijing amended and enacted various national security laws in recent years, and issued a new set of legal guidelines on June 21 targeting advocates of Taiwan independence.

There have also been multiple cases of Taiwanese citizens being "illegally detained, held and interrogated" in the mainland, it said.

In response, the MAC raised its travel alert for mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau to the second-highest orange alert on June 27, urging Taiwanese citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to those places, due to increasing safety concerns, the statement said.