China bans its citizens from traveling to Taiwan independently.

In an official statement yesterday from China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, citizens in 47 cities will be banned from entering Taiwan with individual travel permits starting today, August 1, 2019. However, Chinese citizens who were granted permits before August 1, business travelers, and group travelers will still be allowed to travel to Taiwan from mainland China.

In fact, the individual travel program was implemented in June 2011 in three cities—Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin, Xiamen—before being officially expanded to 47 cities to encourage closer ties between Taiwan and mainland China.

However, in recent months, Taiwan and Beijing have repeatedly clashed over a range of issues, including the US agreement to sell Taiwan a batch of M1A2 tanks and Stinger missiles worth $2.2 billion, the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's visit to New York.

The new regulations were introduced at a time when the number of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan in the first six months of 2019 increased by 28% compared to the same period last year, reaching 1.67 million. Furthermore, it came just a few months before the Taiwanese elections.

China is conducting a large-scale military exercise in the Taiwan Strait from July 29 to August 2, stretching from the coast of Guangdong to Fujian province. Meanwhile, Taiwan is also conducting a two-day exercise in the southern part of the territory starting on July 30, involving F-16 fighter jets and 12 different types of missiles.

On July 25, the US Navy also deployed a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser through the area to assert the right to freedom of navigation.

In Wenzhou, one of the affected cities, a 25-year-old female tourist surnamed Yang expressed her frustration with the ban. Her travel permit is due to expire in August. However, Yang said she wasn't overly concerned about cross-strait relations. "I went to Taiwan last year and the people there were wonderful," Yang remarked.

China and Taiwan have long disagreed on the status of the territory. While Taiwan desires independence and to be seen as a separate nation, the Beijing government views Taiwan as a province.

The Chinese defense white paper, released on July 24, also clearly states that Beijing will not stand idly by if any party attempts to separate Taiwan from China. Furthermore, in the event of Taiwan's "separation," China will not rule out the use of military means.

PV