Taiwan Rejects Chinese Tourism Operator Visits, Citing Protocol; Beijing Accuses 'Political Manipulation'

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has rejected applications from tourism operators in Shanghai and Fujian seeking to visit Taiwan for inspection tours, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Beijing. The MAC stated that such visits must be coordinated through the established "Mini-Two-Chinas" tourism bodies, namely the Cross-Strait Tourism Association (Taiwan) and the Straits Travel Exchange Association (China).

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We cannot cooperate with arrangements made unilaterally by China.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) responded with anger, accusing Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of political maneuvering and deliberately creating obstacles. TAO spokesperson Chen Binhua claimed that the requirement for prior consultation through the tourism associations was a "typical political manipulation" and an "artificial barrier." He asserted that the industry-level inspections were standard practice before opening up tourism and were purely commercial exchanges focused on logistics like accommodation, attractions, and reception processes.

The MAC reiterated its stance, emphasizing that it had formally notified China in February of the previous year that all such industry visits required coordination via the "Mini-Two-Chinas" channels. Beijing's failure to respond to this notification and its subsequent direct contact with Taiwanese tourism associations to arrange these visits, the MAC argued, would lead to disorder. Therefore, the council stated it "cannot cooperate" with arrangements made unilaterally by China.

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This is typical political manipulation and artificial obstruction.

This dispute arises in the context of China's recent announcement of 10 measures to promote cross-strait integration, including a pilot program for individual travel from Shanghai and Fujian to Taiwan. Taiwan has consistently maintained that any resumption or expansion of cross-strait tourism must follow established communication channels, a condition that Beijing appears unwilling to fully accept, leading to continued friction over exchanges.

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Such inspections are a routine industry operation before tourism is opened up, aiming to coordinate accommodation, attractions, and reception processes. They are purely civilian and business exchanges.