In an official statement yesterday from China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, citizens in 47 cities will be banned from traveling to Taiwan with individual travel permits starting today, August 1, 2019. However, Chinese nationals who were issued permits before August 1, business travelers, and group travelers are still 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 Xiamen, before being officially expanded to 47 cities to promote closer relations between Taiwan and the mainland.
However, in recent months, Taiwan and Beijing have repeatedly clashed over a number of issues, including the US's agreement to sell Taiwan $2.2 billion worth of M1A2 tanks and Stinger missiles, democracy protests in Hong Kong and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's visit to New York.
The new regulation comes as Chinese tourists to Taiwan in the first six months of 2019 increased 28% compared to the same period last year, reaching 1.67 million. In addition, it also comes just a few months before Taiwan's elections.
China is holding a large-scale military exercise in the Taiwan Strait from July 29 to August 2, starting from the Guangdong coast to Fujian province. Meanwhile, Taiwan also conducted a two-day exercise in the south of the territory from July 30 with F-16 fighter jets and 12 different types of missiles.
On July 25, the US Navy also deployed a Ticonderoga-class missile cruiser through this area to assert freedom of navigation.
In Wenzhou, one of the affected cities, a 25-year-old female tourist surnamed Yang was upset by the ban. Her travel permit expires in August. But Yang said she was not too concerned about cross-strait relations. “I went to Taiwan last year and the people there are great,” she said.
China and Taiwan have long disagreed on the status of the territory. While Taiwan wants independence and is considered a separate country, Beijing considers Taiwan a province.
The content of China's defense white paper released on July 24 also clearly stated that Beijing will not stand idly by if any party moves to separate Taiwan from China. In the case of Taiwan "secession", China will not rule out the use of military measures.
