Beijing Reiterates Readiness to Resume Mainland Tourists to Taiwan

Despite military drills and angry rhetoric, both sides insist they want to resume cross-Strait tourism. Will Taipei respond to Beijing's flexibility and lift its nearly 5-yr ban?

The William Ching-te Lai administration in Taipei is under pressure from Taiwan’s tourism industry to lift its nearly five-year ban on group tours to the mainland.

On Wednesday, November 27, the island’s Mainland Affairs Council released a statement, framing the local tourism industry’s petition as based on “misunderstandings.”

The content of the petition submitted by travel industry stakeholders to the Tourism Administration of the Ministry of Transportation on November 25, 2024, reflects significant misunderstandings about the current state of cross-strait tourism exchanges and the obstacles involved

The statement makes clear, in its first point, that

The Government’s Stance on Welcoming Mainland Tourists Remains Unchanged…Regarding mainland tourists visiting Taiwan, relevant authorities have already made the necessary preparations based on plans announced in August last year and are ready to implement corresponding measures in line with the mainland’s openness. Our policy of welcoming mainland tourists to Taiwan has not changed, and we are willing to promote two-way exchanges and contribute to peace and mutual prosperity.

It went on to admit that Taipei has not lifted its ban on group travels from Taiwan to the mainland, but that was based on Beijing’s recent anti-Taiwan independence policies, which Taipei cited on June 27 to raise its travel alert for the mainland to “orange.”

It also blamed Beijing for not allowing Chinese mainlanders to visit Taiwan, which caused a 7.2:1 imbalance in cross-Strait travel this year: the number of Taiwanese traveling to the mainland from January to September 2023 was 2.052 million, compared to only 285,000 mainland visitors to Taiwan during the same period.

Beijing shot back the next day, with the spokesperson for its Taiwan Affairs Office saying

Since 2020, the Democratic Progressive Party [the current governing party in Taiwan] authorities have used the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to prohibit mainland residents from traveling to Taiwan and to suspend local travel agencies from operating group tours to the mainland. As early as May 2023, the mainland announced the resumption of group tours for Taiwanese residents traveling to the mainland. In April and August of this year, arrangements were successively made for mainland residents to travel to Matsu, Kinmen, and Taiwan on group tours. However, to this day, the DPP authorities continue to ignore the shared aspiration of the Taiwanese people for peace, development, exchanges, and cooperation. They have disregarded the appeals of Taiwan’s tourism industry and grassroots citizens, refused to lift the “group tour ban,” delayed responses to applications for chartered ship routes between Pingtan and Taiwan, and failed to provide positive responses to calls for the full resumption of cross-strait direct flight routes and services. They have even raised the travel alert for Taiwanese residents visiting the mainland to “orange.” The facts are crystal clear: the root cause and obstacles to cross-strait tourism issues lie entirely with the DPP authorities.

However, in a significant and clear message, the spokesperson said

I would like to reiterate once again as long as the Democratic Progressive Party [the current governing party] authorities lift the ban on tourist groups [to the mainland] and remove obstacles and restrictions on cross-strait personnel exchanges and cooperation in various fields, we will, based on resuming mainland residents’ tourism to Matsu and Kinmen, consider further expanding mainland residents’ tourism to Taiwan and strengthening cross-strait tourism industry exchanges and cooperation.

At its peak in 2015, Taiwan welcomed 4.18 million visitors from the mainland, and talk of war was nowhere to be heard. Today, as the Taiwan Strait is increasingly seen as the world’s most dangerous place, few gestures could better symbolize peace and a de-escalation of tensions than the resumption of mass travel across the Strait. The sight of mainland tourists once again flocking to Taipei 101, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the National Palace Museum, and savoring bubble tea, stinky tofu, and pineapple cakes at vibrant night markets like Shilin and Liuhe would serve as a powerful reminder of shared connections and mutual goodwill.

Despite the exchange of angry rhetoric above, it’s clear that both sides insist they want to resume cross-Strait tourism - but they are just blaming the other side for setting up obstacles.

What’s not apparent but essential and maybe even remarkable is that the two military drills by Beijing in response to - and, more importantly - what Beijing insists are pro-independence escalations by the William Ching-te Lai administration do NOT appear to forestall expand cross-Strait tourism.

One might even argue that, given the Taiwan Affairs Office’s framing of the issue.

I would like to reiterate once again as long as the Democratic Progressive Party authorities lift the ban on tourist groups [to the mainland] and remove obstacles and restrictions on cross-strait personnel exchanges and cooperation in various fields, we will, based on resuming mainland residents’ tourism to Matsu and Kinmen, consider further expanding mainland residents’ tourism to Taiwan and strengthening cross-strait tourism industry exchanges and cooperation.

Beijing appears to show considerable flexibility in only asking for technicalities, such as Taipei “lifting (ing) the ban on tourist groups” to the mainland, to relax tourism rather than preconditions such as resuming official cross-strait contacts or the DPP’s return to the 1992 Consensus.

What other “obstacles and restrictions on cross-strait personnel exchanges and cooperation in various fields” are in play?

Beijing particularly mentioned Taipei’s upgrading of its travel alert to “orange” on June 27, 2024.

even raised the travel alert for Taiwanese residents visiting the mainland to “orange”

Suppose Taipei is willing to contribute to resuming tourism and, thus, cross-Strait peace and stability. Is there a way for the Lai administration to downgrade the “orange” to yellow, the second-lowest level?

The latest development in China-U.S. relations may have provided an excellent political cover. Earlier this week, the U.S. eased its travel advisory to China to the second-lowest Level 2, the same level as the UK, France, and Germany, finding that “no Americans wrongfully detained” in China. Taipei could just cite Washington and follow suit.

There could be other things that Beijing wants, such as

…has dragged its feet in responding to the request from Taiwan’s tourism industry for chartered ships between Pingtan and Taiwan, and has not given a positive response to calls for the full resumption of cross-strait direct flight routes and services.

But they seem to be only technicalities in terms of means of travel.