TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has measures in place to crack down on Chinese nationals traveling to Taiwan for tourism under false business pretenses, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠) said on Thursday.
During a Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting, DPP lawmakers expressed concerns about recent content on the Chinese social media platform Little Red Book teaching Chinese travelers how to apply for a business visa to visit Taiwan for tourism or celebrity chasing, Liberty Times reported.
Shen explained that Taiwan aimed to revitalize cross-strait commerce and create more opportunities for Taiwan’s business sector in 2023 by relaxing entry regulations for short-term business visits for Chinese nationals. However, some Chinese have exploited this loophole, he said.
MAC has a three-layered defense system to prevent such occurrences, Shen said. This includes verifying whether the visitor’s purpose and identity match those of the businessperson. The government is working with the National Immigration Agency to strengthen vetting procedures, the deputy minister said.
Those who breach Taiwan’s visa regulations will face penalties, including a ban of up to five years from entering Taiwan. If a Taiwanese intermediary company is found guilty of document forgery or charging excessive fees, its ability to sponsor applications will be suspended for between six months to five years, Shen said. If criminal violations like document forgery under the Criminal Code are involved, the case will be handed over to the relevant judicial authorities, he added.
