Legislative resolution calls for lifting of China-bound group travel ban

Taipei, July 16 (CNA) The Legislature on Tuesday passed a non-binding resolution asking the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration to lift its ban on China-bound group travel as long as safety and peaceful development can be ensured.

The proposal by two opposition parties, the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), was accepted after 60 lawmakers voted in favor of it while 48 voted against.

The vote was held after the proposal was frozen for a month, with no consensus reached during inter-party negotiations.

The resolution also called on the government to prioritize allowing Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan-controlled Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu islands via current ferry links.

The opening to Chinese tourists would be very beneficial to the three offshore islands which rely heavily on tourism, according to the KMT-TPP proposal.

Taiwan's Tourism Administration originally planned to lift the ban on China-bound group trips in March as border controls were phased out after the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, it held back on the decision in response to China's unilateral decision to alter its M503 flight path in February. It also pointed out that China does not permit Chinese group tourists to visit Taiwan.

During Tuesday's meeting, DPP legislative caucus secretary-general Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) said it is China that does not want to open its border.

In 2023, Taiwanese paid 1.76 million visits to China, compared with 226,000 trips to Taiwan by Chinese nationals, Wu said.

In the first half of this year, visits by Taiwanese to China exceeded 1 million, far more than the 150,000 trips made by Chinese visitors to Taiwan, she added, accusing China of blocking the resumption of cross-strait tourism-oriented travel.

KMT Legislative caucus deputy whip Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) contended that something has to be done to bail out Taiwan's tourism industry.

Just over 6.5 million people visited Taiwan last year, only 65 percent pre-COVID-19 tourism levels, she said.

Wang brushed off concerns over national security voiced by some DPP lawmakers, noting that a 155-member delegation from 12 Chinese provinces and cities attended the 2024 Summer Travel Expo in Taipei from July 12-15.

In response, the Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement that it "respects" the Legislative Yuan's stance and will continue to review the policy based on bilateral interactions.