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Taiwan hopes for more Chinese tourists but policy unchanged
Taipei, Aug 1, 2006 Taiwan hopes to welcome more mainland Chinese tourists by the end of the year but its main policy on ties with Beijing remain in place and unchanged, a senior official said Tuesday. "Communications and arrangements between the two sides have been proceeding smoothly," said Joseph Wu, head of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) which oversees policy on China. At the same time, however, the guiding principles on China links set down by President Chen Shui-bian remain in place, Wu said. Beijing continues to be hostile towards Taiwan and so President Chen's dictum of "'proactive management, effective liberalization' announced in January remains the guiding principle for us," he said. Chen's policy is seen by many advocates of greater exchanges with China as a limiting factor, reflecting the government's wish for Taiwan not to put all its eggs in the China basket and become over-dependent on the mainland. It was a key issue in a government-sponsored conference last week on ways to boost the economy, with many participants urging the authorities to relax rules and allow more direct links with China. These suggestions were noted in the conference but no agreed formula was put forward, with the government only saying it would consider them further. Chinese tourists wishing to visit Taiwan face a number of obstacles, with direct links available only between the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen and Matsu just off the mainland. To get to Taiwan proper, they have been able to travel via Hong Kong, Macau or other countries after a relaxation in 2002 of a travel ban put in place since 1949 when the two sides split following the communist victory in China. MAC figures show some 130,000 Chinese mainlanders have visited Taiwan using this indirect route since 2002. Besides the length of the trip, their numbers are limited to 1,000 per day and Wu said this restriction would stay in place. Wu added, however, that it could be possible to take a more "aggressive" approach by allowing more Chinese visitors for business purposes. "Microsoft has approached us for the possibility of holding a regional conference in Taiwan involving 200-300 employees from the mainland," he noted. Wu said that as part of opening up to more Chinese tourists, Taiwan would permit conversion of the Chinese currency into Taiwan dollars on the island proper on a trial basis, a practice already in place on the offshore Kinmen and Matsu islands. A complete opening would have to wait for Taiwan and China to work out a currency settlement mechanism, he added. In June, Taiwan and China agreed to allow cross-strait passenger charter flights during major holidays while opening special, direct cargo flights and charter flights for emergency healthcare and other humanitarian purposes. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links China News from SinoDaily.com
China to modernize military, reunify Taiwan, defense minister says
Beijing (AFP) Jul 31, 2006 China will be a force for global peace but it must arm its military with the latest in high-tech weapons and ensure that Taiwan never splits from the mainland, the defence minister said Monday. |
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