Chinese may soon visit Taiwan via isles

“From late this month, Chinese professionals or tourists, verified by both sides, will be permitted to enter Taiwan from the two islands,” Lai said at a news conference following an Executive Yuan meeting that approved the MAC proposal.

Such transportation services will save travelers time and cost because they need not to go through Hong Kong or other transit points.

Under a separate measure, mainland tourists arriving in the Kinmen and Matsu islands will also be allowed to get landing visas and multiple-entry visas for repeat visits in the future. However, such visas granted upon arrival will not be valid for visits to the main Taiwan island, she said.

The new measures are part of the central government’s efforts to promote interchange across the Taiwan Strait and lure Chinese visitors to the two Taiwanese islands that are located only a few miles off China’s southeastern coast.

As China presently permits only tourists from Fujian Province to visit Kinmen and Matsu, the MAC hopes the Chinese authorities will expand the measure to residents of other provinces, Lai said.

She added that “the MAC looks forward to a settlement of the issue in the next round of bilateral negotiations.”

Taiwan and China are set to discuss the opening of direct cross-strait shipping services in a new round of negotiations slated for late October or early November.

The Taiwan government decided to push for the establishment of direct ferry links between offshore Penghu County and several Fujian ports prior to the planned opening of shipping links by the end of this year, Lai said.

Meanwhile, Penghu will also be added to the “mini three links” program from mid-October — meaning that direct ferry services will also be set up between the island county southwest of Taiwan proper and Fujian Province.

Penghu is only permitted to conduct ferry services to Fujian on a case-by-case basis at present.

Commenting on the illegal, but rampant, smuggling of agricultural and fishery products from China to Taiwan’s outlying islands, Lai said the government plans to grant duty-free treatment to allow Chinese products to enter the offshore islands, so as to help maintain public health and social order amid increasing cross-strait exchanges.

Meanwhile, Kinmen County Magistrate Lee Chu-feng led a delegation of over 80 members to Xiamen City in China’s Fujian Province to promote tourism yesterday.

The Kinmen County Government and the local tourism sector welcome the new MAC measures, which will help create business development opportunities, said Lee.

Wu Chia-chiang, chairman of the Kinmen travel agencies association, asserted that the liberalized plans of the MAC will undoubtedly result in lucrative business opportunities because it is significantly cheaper to travel via the mini-link routes than to take the direct cross-Taiwan Strait weekend charter flights that were launched in mid-July.

According to Lee, the delegates will take part in the fourth cross-Taiwan Strait travel fair in Xiamen from Sept. 6, which will include forums and a travel product exposition.

The delegation will also attend a travel exhibition at the Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center Sept. 8-11.

At this event, the Kinmen County pavilion, featuring the theme of peace, cooperation and reconciliation, will tout its tourism resources and the speciality products of 22 companies, including Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc., to entice Chinese tourists.

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