TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Mainland Affairs Council on Thursday said China’s decision to allow Shanghai residents to travel to Kinmen and Lienchiang counties is a politically motivated move, not a genuine gesture of goodwill.
Following the conclusion of the KMT–CCP think tank forum, at which the two sides reached 15 points of consensus, China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the new travel policy on Wednesday, per Liberty Times. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Spokesperson Chen Binhua on Thursday urged Taiwan to lift “unreasonable restrictions” on cross-strait flights.
MAC Vice Chair Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said that when the "mini three links” between Kinmen–Matsu and China were first opened, there had been no restrictions on which provinces visitors could come from. Visits by Chinese tourists to Kinmen and Matsu remain below pre-pandemic levels, with roughly 190,000 last year compared with 300,000 in 2019, due to limits on visitors from outside Fujian.
Liang said Beijing “imposed unreasonable restrictions first," insisting on treating Taiwan as equivalent to Fujian Province. “Now, after suddenly opening up, they expect us to feel grateful,” he said.
He said Taiwan would handle the matter in accordance with established procedures. As for whether Shanghai residents would travel to Xiamen and take a ferry to Kinmen, Liang said it remains to be seen if the route is attractive, given the long journey and the required transfer via the mini three links
From Taiwan’s perspective, Liang said Beijing’s proposal to allow Shanghai residents to visit Kinmen and Matsu was made for “political purposes,” giving the appearance of goodwill. “We do not consider their offer to open up Shanghai a special favor, because there should be no such restriction in the first place,” he said.
Regarding the normalization of cross-strait tourism, Liang said the government advocates first holding talks through the two associations mechanism and urges the Chinese side to respond as soon as possible.
Responding to Chen’s claim of strong demand for full direct flights, Liang said many routes previously relied on group tours. However, without progress on reviving group tourism, passenger numbers are unlikely to increase.
He emphasized that although Taiwanese business associations may request additional flight routes, airlines have indicated that, without tour groups, relying solely on business travelers would lead to losses on every flight.
